A past brought present 2
by lil prongs chicky
Summary: Cameron's got the school cooperating. He's got friends and no one listens to Dumbledore! Everything is simply perfect. That is until one night when Cameron and Harry get kidnapped and perfection is destroyed.
1. Chapter 1

Death Eaters stood in a wide circle around Voldemort who paced angrily before them. No one dared speak, move, or even breathe too loudly for fear the Dark Lord would be moved to release his rage.

"Would any of you," Voldemort hissed, "care to explain why Hogwarts is not in my possession?"

The older members of the circle knew better then to answer unless directly spoke to. This was not the case in the newer recruits.

Antony Night fell to one knee and stood up again in the customary Death Eater bow.

"My Lord, the students used a spell we knew nothing about. It seemed to pull magic straight out of the school itself." He explained.

The Death Eaters waited for the man to be punished but that moment never came. Instead Voldemort's snake eyes were focused on another man at the far side of the circle.

"How could the students have had time to prepare in such a way?"

The man in question bowed quickly.

"My Lord, they had outside help I was not aware of."

Voldemort walked forward until he was mere inches from his follower's mask.

"I have many doubts of your loyalties, Severus, but you were most helpful leading us through the wards. Now I come to find that my plan has failed because the students knew of our attack. This does not bode well for you."

"Believe me my Lord I had no knowledge of the student's plans." Snape explained. "It is entirely possible the boy trapped in the forest had something to do with their sudden preparedness."

Voldemort's gaze lingered on his servant for another moment.

"Crucio."

Snape collapsed to the ground writing in pain and biting his lip to hold back his screams of agony. His bite was so hard he felt blood drip freely down his chin. The Dark Lord held the curse for a while longer before lifting it and allowing his follower to stand shakily. Voldemort turned away from the man in disgust and addressed the rest of the circle.

"Who can tell me the true reason you were once again thwarted by a group of teenagers?"

Lucius preformed the bow and faced the Dark Lord.

"My Lord, the boy Severus speaks of is named Cameron Scott and was imprisoned in the forest by Albus Dumbledore many years ago. According to my son the boy has been working among the students, uniting them all house by house. I believe he is the reason we failed. I also believe it is possible that if we either permenatly be rid of him or attempt to have him join our cause. He is still young but he would be a valuable asset."

Voldemort looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Tell me more of what you have in mind." He said.

"You see my Lord for years our goal has been Harry Potter and while I fully understand the importance of his destruction I believe there is a larger treasure at hand. By capturing Hogwarts as your own you will have hundreds of young minds and souls ripe for conversion against the light. That is where Cameron would be of value for he has an innate ability to manipulate a person's mind without them knowing so that they will almost blindly follow him. Harry Potter is just one teenager My Lord but by winning Cameron you have just earned hundreds more followers."

Voldemort's blood red eyes shone greedily.

"Your plan is very enticing, Lucius."

The Dark Lord began to pace once more but with more determination then rage.

"You have all heard everything Malfoy has just said. Bring to me Cameron Scott and you will be rewarded for your trouble."

Voldemort turned on his heal and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Slowly the circle began to dissipate as the Death Eaters apparated away.


	2. Chapter 2

At Hogwarts students were spread all over the grounds enjoying the beautiful Saturday afternoon weather. Harry, Ron, and Draco could be found standing next to the edge of the Forbidden Forest with towels slung over their shoulders.

"Do you think he forgot he was supposed to meet us?" Ron asked. Harry and Draco were just about to respond when their friend emerged from the trees smirking at them.

"Of course I didn't forget. I just wanted to see how long you three could stand here without killing each other." Cameron said.

"Are you always to test us like that?" Harry questioned.

Cameron shrugged. The boys shook their heads.

"Well are we going to go swimming or stand around here all day?" Draco said.

"Last one there has to kiss Ms. Norris!" Harry called as he took off running towards the Lake. Draco and Ron ran after the Gryffindor. All three boys ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Harry led the pack with Ron on his heals and Draco barely pulling up the rear. Suddenly a little silver streak shot past all three of them.

"Bloody cheater!" Ron called after the fox. He, Draco, and Harry arrived at the edge of the lake just in time to see the fox leap into the air and land in the water with a surprisingly big splash for such a small creature. The boys laughed as they slid off their shirts and tossed them into a pile with their towels by a tree.

Cameron transformed back into a human under water and when he broke the surface he shook his hair out of his grinning face.

"Ha ha you three have to kiss a cat that's older then I am!" Cameron pulled his soaking shirt off and chucked it on land, hitting Harry square in the face. The boys laughed and Harry chucked the shirt in the sun so it could dry while the boys swam. Ron climbed onto a nearby rock and cannon-balled off the top sending water shooting into Cameron's face as he landed. Harry and Draco dove in at the same time causing a huge wave to cover the other two. Draco burst through the water's surface just as Ron began flailing his arms and screaming.

"Something's got me! Ahh!" he shouted.

"It could be the squid!" Draco cried out. He swam forward and grabbed on of Ron's hands while Cameron grabbed the other. Suddenly Ron stopped freaking out and Harry burst through the water, laughing hysterically.

"Harry you bloody bugger!" Ron said angrily. Harry gasped for breath as he treaded water.

"Ahh something…got me!...help me..HA HA AHHH!" He cried, mimicking Ron's freak out.

Harry's laughter was cut short as Cameron jumped on top of him shoving him underwater. Draco and Ron laughed. Suddenly Draco was pulled under and Harry came up chuckling. Draco dragged Ron down and Harry attacked Cameron. Soon an all out war between the four broke out. No one was above the water long enough to truly catch their breath and it wasn't long before they were dragging themselves onto land, coughing up water and laughing. Harry flipped over on his back and put his hands behind his head letting the warm sun wash over his chest. Ron and Draco grabbed their towels. The red head tossed his towel over his face and flopped onto the ground letting out a content sigh that made the towel poof up slightly. Draco stayed standing and carefully dried his platinum blonde hair. Cameron leaned up against a tree and turned his face up towards the sun.

"How long has it been?" Harry asked suddenly. Cameron shrugged.

"I'm not sure but I'll head back at first sign it's been over an hour." The boys sat in silence for a while longer. Draco stretched himself out in the sun along with the other boys. The quartet sat and listened to the soft buzz of other students talking animatedly. They reveled in the lack of arguments.

"This has been the best year ever." Ron said from under his towel. His friends nodded in agreement.

"So when's the next Quidditch match?" Cameron asked.

"The Slytherin versus Ravenclaw match is next week." Draco said quickly.

"Hm that sounds like a good one. I'll make sure to watch it." Cameron said. He didn't miss the curious look that passed between the other three boys. "I'm not going to watch from the stadium. A few years back I set up a canopy type deal in two of the tallest trees in the forest. It's a perfect view of the Quidditch pitch." He said. "You can come watch it with me if you like. If you bring a few more people we can make a party out of it." Cameron suggested. Harry and Ron nodded.

"How deep is it in the forest? I don't think the centaurs will be too pleased to have a whole group of us walking through "their" forest." Ron said.

"It's right at the edge, near the Whomping Willow but far enough away from it that it won't try to knock us down." Cameron said.

"Alright then."

"Um could I ask you guys something?" Harry asked. Ron pulled the towel off his face and shifted to face his friend. Draco and Cameron turned as well.

"Well my one year anniversary with Ginny is coming up in a few weeks and I have no bloody idea what to do for her." Harry admitted. Draco and Cameron smirked.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Draco said. Harry chucked his towel at the blonde but the Slytherin swatted it away.

"Just get her flowers or something. Ginny won't care." Ron said with a dismissive shrug. Cameron and Draco fixed the red head with disbelieving stares.

"No wonder you don't have a girl, mate." Cameron said. Draco laughed and Ron glared. Cameron turned back to Harry.

"You've got to do something romantic but not over the top. Something she'd never expect. Girl's love surprises." He said knowingly. Draco nodded.

"Flowers are a good idea but that can't be your only gift. It might be smart to ask a few of her friends if she's been talking to them about what she hopes to get from you and do some sort of spin off that." He put in. Cameron looked thoughtful for a moment.

"A picnic would be perfect! The weather's been great lately. Bring Ginny by the forest on your anniversary around 7ish. I've got the perfect place for you two to have your dinner." Cameron said.

"A picnic in the forbidden forest?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of it all. Draco and Ron will help me. You just focus on getting the gift and we'll worry about the rest." Cameron said. Harry nodded but signaled for the boy to stop talking about it. The boys turned and saw Ginny, Hermione, and Pansy walking towards them.

"Hey guys." Pansy said. The guys said their greetings and rearranged themselves to include the girls in their circle. Harry put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders as she sat down beside him. She squealed slightly as water dripped off Harry's arm down her neck. Hermione sat between Ron and Draco and Pansy took the spot between Draco and Cameron.

"What have you lot been up to?" Draco asked. The girls shrugged.

"Girl stuff. What bout you?" Ginny answered.

"Guy stuff." Harry replied.

Cameron smirked. Something told him that the girls had just had a very similar discussion to the one the boys had just finished.

The group sat and talked for a while simply enjoying each others company and letting the sun warm them. Cameron grumbled loudly and started rubbing his chest as he stood.

"Damn, sorry all my hour's up. I'll see you later." He said quickly. He transformed into a fox and bound off towards the forest. His friends watched him disappear into the forest. Ginny sighed.

"I wish there was something we could do for him." She said softly. Her friends nodded their agreement. Suddenly Pansy brightened up.

"How long do you suppose it's been since he's had a birthday?"

The rest of the teens fixed her with a curious expression.

"Where on earth did that come from?" Ginny asked.

"It's just a thought but I mean Cameron did save Hogwarts and we haven't done anything to thank him properly except almost get him killed."

Her friends nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well I guess it wouldn't have to be a birthday party just a regular party in Cameron's honor. I'm sure he'd love that." Hermione said. Pansy agreed excitedly. In a flash the girls began planning what to do for food, where to have the party, how to decorate and a long list of other things the boys couldn't quite understand. Harry, Draco, and Ron sat beside the girls nodding at appropriate times but not really fully understanding what they were agreeing too.

"Alright so Ron you're going to take care of getting the decorations, Harry you have to start spreading the word about the party, and Draco you've got to make sure the house-elves know we're going to be needing quite a bit of food. Pansy, Ginny, and I will make sure you're all doing your jobs correctly and when everything is ready we will set it up." Hermione said. Again the boys nodded and watched as the girls got up and walked away.

Ron scratched the top of his head and turned to his friends with a confused expression.

"What exactly just happened here?" he asked. Harry and Draco shrugged.

"Who cares? The girls can take care of it whatever it is." Draco said. Harry nodded and stood.

"I'm ready for another swim. How about you two?" he said. When his friends nodded Harry ran forward and leapt into the water with the other two close behind.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were spent with students getting repeatedly lectured about the importance of the O.W.L and N.E.W.T tests that would be given at the end of the year. Hermione rarely left the library and when she did she almost always had one book in her hands and three more in her bag. Ginny often kept her friend company and quizzed her using worksheets Hermione had gotten from her teachers to help her prepare. Harry and Ron were usually spotted with a book or two but rather then actually reading, the boys usually had the books open beside them as they played chess or cards. Pansy and Draco were stuck in study mode as well while Blaise chose the more relaxed route like Harry and Ron.

Even with all the stress of the tests no one forgot about their plan to throw Cameron a surprise party. Harry only had to tell a few select people about their plans before the entire school was informed.

"I'm telling you Hermione telling Lavender and the Patill twins anything is like telling the entire world." Harry said with a shrug one morning in the Gryffindor Common room. Hermione smiled and nodded before turning to Ron and Draco.

"So where are you two at in your jobs?" she asked. The boys looked at each other and then at the girl.

"Umm well about that…" Ron started.

"I've been really very busy with all my studying and I haven't really had time to speak with the House Elves." Draco said quickly.

"That's alright Draco I understand. At least you were doing something productive. Ginny would you mind talking to the elves on your way to Potions tomorrow?" Hermione asked. Ginny nodded and Hermione turned her attention back to Ron.

"Now what is your excuse Ronald? I'm sure you were able to take care of the decorations as you haven't done an ounce of studying all week." She said. Ron rubbed the back of his neck and looked everywhere except at the girl.

"I um…well…erm…you see…" he said. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Exactly what I thought." She said. "Pansy did you go ahead and take care of ordering the decorations?"

The Slytherin girl nodded.

"They're down in my trunk." Pansy said.

"Excellent. Alright the party is going to be tomorrow right after dinner. Since there will be so many people attending I thought it might be a good idea to hold it at the lake. The sun will be setting so the shadows from the forest will reach about that far so we don't have to worry about Cameron having to run off from his own party." Hermione said. Her friends nodded.

"Alright well since all that's taken care of I'm off to the library." She said standing.

"Aw come on 'Mione can't you take a break from studying for one night?" Ron asked.

"Yeah you've been at it for days, you deserve a break." Pansy said.

"I will take a break for the party tomorrow. Good night."

With that the brunette turned and left through the portrait hole.

Hermione was about to turn around the last corner before the library but froze at the unmistakable sound of urgent whispering. Curious the brunette eased closer to the wall and took a few steps towards the voices.

"-set to take place soon."

"I must know the exact date Severus; I will not jeopardize my students."

Hermione heard the potions master sigh heavily.

"I understand this, Albus, but I am not presently in the best favor of the Dark Lord. He will not give me any more information then what is needed for my part."

"Having the Dark Lord capture Cameron was your idea Severus and it is up to you to make sure it happens but if any other students are harmed in the process they too will be your responsibility." Dumbledore said coolly. Hermione gasped and to her horror a book fell out of her over stuffed bag and crashed to the floor. She bent over to pick it up and when she rose again Snape and Dumbledore were standing in her path, looking down at her.

"Good evening Professors." She said cheerily.

"Good evening, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore responded.

"I was just heading to the library to get in a little extra studying." Hermione said. She side-stepped and began making a wide circle around the professors to get around the corner.

"Very good." Dumbledore said. Hermione nodded and dashed away. Snape turned to the headmaster.

"Do you suppose she heard any part of our conversation?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded once.

"I am almost sure of it. There is no need to worry however. She and her friends will not interfere with this plan if I have to make sure of it myself."

With that Dumbledore turned and left Snape standing in the corridor alone.

In the library Hermione flipped open her book and tried to calm her racing heart. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. How could Dumbledore actually allow the Dark Lord to just take someone? The headmaster may not like the teen but Cameron did save Hogwarts and that had to count for something. Hermione sighed heavily.

"Apparently not." She muttered. Writing a mental note to remember to tell her friends about what she'd heard, Hermione pushed the events into the back of her mind and began studying.

After spending a full two hours in the library Hermione made her way up to the Gryffindor Common room only to find it completely empty.

_Alright I'll tell them all tomorrow then. _She said before going up to her dorm and going to sleep.

The next day however everyone was too excited about the upcoming party. Classes seemed to pass painfully slow and by the time dinner came Hermione was so swept into the excitement that she decided against telling her friends what she'd heard.

_It's impossible to apparate or to use a portkey to get onto Hogwarts grounds so Cameron should be fine; no since in worrying everyone else._


	4. Chapter 4

A few students worked together to charm balloons to float around the party area by the lake. One group strung lights up in a few trees so that they'd still be able to see when the sun set. The food table was covered in treats of every flavor and drinks for every age group. Sirius and Remus showed up fifteen minutes before Harry was to arrive with Cameron. Remus assumed the role of responsible adult and took all the firewhisky back up to the castle. Fred and George assumed the role of trouble making teenagers and snuck it back out after disguising it as butterbeer.

"They're coming!" Ginny cried as a dazzling silver stag appeared in front of her. Slowly the sound level dropped and the lights were dimmed while the teens ducked down in the shadows.

"Surprise!"

The lights flashed back on and everyone jumped up as they shouted. Cameron jumped back slightly and looked around in shock and confusion. He looked at Harry who was beaming.

"Am I missing something?" Cameron asked. A few people laughed and he couldn't help but smile as a bottle of butterbeer was shoved into his hand.

"It's a surprise party!" Fred said happily.

"For you!" George added. Cameron laughed and music started playing somewhere in the background. By now all of Cameron's friends were standing with him in a circle.

"You guys planned all this?" he asked. The girls beamed and the guys nodded. Cameron was about to question the reasoning behind the party when Fred and George came running over to the group looking immensely excited and slightly unsteady on their feet. There was very little need to wonder just what was in the bottles they were holding.

"Come look!" Fred said excitedly. George laughed giddily before following his brother back towards the lake. Harry led the others after the twins. They stopped at the water's edge where Fred and George stood pointing at the sky, laughing insanely. By now more of a crowd was gathered around.

Fireworks of every shape and size exploded against the darkening sky, filling it with color and fiery pictures.

"'ere's tha bes part." George said, slinging his arm over Harry and Cameron's shoulders.

In the sky a vivid purple rocket shot through the air. It made a double loop before its violet sparks began to form letters in the sky. As the firework finished its message cheers erupted through the crowd.

HOGWARTS FOREVER

Cameron clapped along with the others and watched as the rest of the fireworks finished their show. He followed his friends to the food table and filled up on cakes and other sweets. After a few drinks of what Harry thought was butterbeer he turned to Ginny and held his hand out to her.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked. Ginny giggled and blushed but took his hand and followed him out to where other couples were already dancing. Blaise offered his hand to Pansy who also accepted the offer. Cameron and Draco looked between Ron and Hermione who were both purposely not looking at each other. Ron kept shoving more food in his mouth while Hermione watched the others dance. Cameron elbowed Draco in the arm and nodded towards the girl. Draco shook his head. Cameron raised his eyebrow and nodded again. The Slytherin sighed and went over to Hermione to ask her to dance. After a moment she said yes and followed him out to the dance floor. Ron's mouth dropped open and a few pieces of food fell to the ground. Cameron smirked and pushed the red heads mouth closed with his index finger.

"Miofie ifs dafensicng wif Dfracoi." He mumbled through his food. Crumbs shot out of his mouth and hit Cameron in the face. The teen jumped back and cleaned off his face quickly.

"If I wanted some food I would have gotten it myself thanks." He said. Ron forced himself to swallow the giant lump of food in his mouth.

"'Mione is dancing with Draco." He said. Cameron looked at the dancing pair and back at the red head.

"Yeah." He said.

"But why?" Ron questioned.

"Why not? You weren't going to ask her." Cameron said. Ron crossed his arms in front of his chest stubbornly.

"I was too." He muttered. Cameron rolled his eyes.

"Right, you were going to ask just as soon as you shoved all the food on the table into your mouth." He said. Ron glared at his friend slightly.

"I can't help it. She's been my friend for years but…" he started but his voice faded out. Cameron patted his friend on the shoulder.

"I understand where you're coming from mate. It can be hard telling a friend you have feelings for them but she won't know if you don't."

"She'll laugh in my face, I know it. 'Mione is so smart and I'm just an idiot." Ron admitted. Cameron laughed.

"Contrary to popular belief you're not an idiot. You make her laugh and that's very important." Cameron turned and put his hands on both of Ron's shoulders.

"Trust me mate. Telling her and facing the possibility of getting rejected is far better then not telling her and wondering what could have been." He said.

Ron nodded and looked out the dancing couples. By now there were a lot more pairs in the dancing area and since the song was slow they were all packed pretty close together. Cameron and Ron were both shocked to find Draco holding Hermione close to him and the pair talking quietly in each other's ears. Ron looked at Cameron desperately. The black haired boy shrugged.

"You'd better make your move quick." He said simply. Ron nodded firmly and took a few steps towards the dance area before he froze and walked back looking ashamed.

"I can't do it." He said.

"Yes you can. Just tell her exactly how you feel and you'll be fine." Cameron pushed. Ron nodded and made his way towards the couple again. He only got three steps farther before he turned and went back to Cameron. His ears were red as tomatoes.

"I can't do it. She's going to laugh at me."

"I'm going to smack you if you don't get over there and get your girl." Cameron said. Ron nodded once more and began walking out to the dance floor. He turned to go back but one icy look from Cameron told him to keep walking.

"Um, can I cut in?" he asked uncertainly. Draco nodded and stepped back. Hermione put her hands on Ron's shoulders while he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Is everything alright, Ron?" she asked worriedly. "You look a little flushed." Ron nodded and cleared his throat.

"I-I u-mm, y-you." He started. Hermione chuckled softly and Ron blushed violently. "Never mind, this was a horrible idea." He said. The red head began to turn to walk away but Hermione pulled him back.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. What is it you were trying to say?" she asked. Ron looked into her honey brown eyes and then back towards the snack table where Cameron and Draco were both watching him. Cameron nodded once and Ron turned back to Hermione.

"I-I was going to t-tell you t-that, um…merlin this is hard…um…well what I was going to say was I like you." Ron said quickly. Hermione blinked in surprise and Ron fought to release the breath that was caught in his chest.

"Oh." Hermione said. All color left Ron's face and he felt his face heat up with embarrassment.

"That was stupid. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. I'll just…" Ron said but he was cut off when Hermione's lips met his. He blinked once in surprise before relaxing and kissing her back.

Cameron smirked and looked at Draco.

"It's about bloody time." The blonde said.

Cameron laughed and took a sip of his drink.

The pair stood by the food table watching their friends dance and other people mess around beside the lake. At one point Draco burst out laughing and Cameron looked at him as if he'd gone insane. The blonde straightened up and gestured towards a group of girls standing across the dancing area from them. They were all giggling and pointing at the pair at random intervals. Cameron smirked.

"Go ask one to dance." He said. Draco shook his head.

"You do it." he retorted.

"If I go you have to come with me." Cameron said. Draco shook his head. Suddenly Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil broke away from their friends and walked up to the boys. Lavender stepped in front of Cameron and smiled. Cameron returned the smile and offered the girl his hand. The pair went out and joined the rest of the dancing couples.

"Are you going to ask me to dance?" Pavarti asked.

_I wasn't planning on it._ Draco thought.

"Of course." He held out is arm and linked arms with the Gryffindor.

The party went on for hours. All the food was gone and the drink supply was exhausted. Fred and George were not the only ones who managed to get thoroughly smashed behind Remus' back. The former professor gave all the drunken teens a firm talking to and Sirius took them up to the castle though he was slightly unsteady on his own feet.

Soon the only ones left were Cameron, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Draco.

"That was so much fun." Ginny said happily. Her friends nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for putting it all together, Hermione." Cameron said. Hermione nodded. The group worked together to clean up the area by the lake and soon everyone said their good byes as the students headed up to the castle and Cameron made his way to the forest.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day everyone was back in full study mode. Even Ron, Harry, and Blaise actually cracked open a book and read a little bit. The only time anyone took a break was when Cameron came up to the castle for a visit.

About a week after Cameron's party he, Ron, and Draco were flying lazily over the Quidditch pitch. Cameron rode one of the schools old brooms while Ron and Draco used their own. They tossed the quaffle around a little and tried to master a few tricks on their brooms.

"Harry remembers he's supposed to come to the forest tonight right?" Cameron asked as he passed the quaffle to Ron. The red head nodded.

"Yeah, he and Ginny will meet us by the Whomping Willow at 7." Ron said.

"Perfect. Are you guys sure you want to help me stand watch? I can take care of it myself." Cameron asked. Ron threw the quaffle at Draco who did a barrel roll as he caught it.

"We're coming whether you like it or not. I don't think I can stand being locked up in the castle anymore then I have to. It's been forever since I've been outside." He said chucking the ball high over Cameron's head. The black haired boy looped his broom around and snatched the ball out of the air with the tips of his fingers.

"So how are things going with you and Hermione, Ron?" he asked throwing the ball straight up in the air. Ron and Draco sped towards it but the superior speed of Draco's Nimbus 2001 got him to the ball first. Ron grumbled something under his breath before answering Cameron.

"Things are going great. Except it seems like I can only spend time with her if I practically move into the library." Ron said. Draco snickered.

"You say it like it's a bad thing Weasley." He said. Cameron laughed and Ron looked confused.

"I don't get it." He said.

"The library doesn't stay packed all the time does it, Ron?" Cameron said suggestively.

"No sometimes it's just the two of us." The red head admitted with a nonchalant shrug.

"Exactly." Draco said. He wiggled his eye brows and laughed. Cameron laughed and rolled on his broom but Ron stared between his friends blankly.

"I don't get it!"

---

At exactly 7o'clock that night Harry and Ginny arrived hand and hand at the edge of the forest. Cameron, Ron, and Draco stood side by side at the tree line.

"Hey guys." Ginny said happily. The boys nodded in acknowledgement.

"Follow us." Cameron said. He turned and after lighting his wand, led the way into the forest. Ron and Draco closed in behind Harry and Ginny with their wands lit as well. Cameron led the group down a trail none of them had ever noticed before. After a few minutes of walking Cameron stopped in front of a curtain of willow tree branches. Ron stepped beside him and together they pulled the branches apart, forming a small entrance way. Harry and Ginny walked through the opening and gasped at the sight.

A little red blanket was laid out on the ground with food spread out over its surface. Soft romantic music played from a small music player by the base of the tree. Fireflies glowed brightly from their jars that hung in the trees cascading branches giving them a glittering affect.

"This is amazing." Ginny said breathlessly. Harry turned to his friends.

"You didn't have to do all this." He said.

The boys shrugged.

"We know but we wanted to." Draco said.

"We're going to be keeping watch just outside but Cameron put a silencing spell on this area so we can't hear whatever you two are talking about." Ron explained. Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Thank you." They said together. Cameron, Draco, and Ron nodded and left the pair alone.

After a while the trio found themselves lying on their backs looking up at the stars through the trees.

"I remember when we were younger Fred and George used to tell Ginny that she was from another planet because she the only girl in our family." Ron said. Cameron and Draco laughed lightly.

"I never really look at the stars much." Draco admitted. Cameron grinned.

"It's pretty hard not to look at them once in a while when your best friend is a centaur." He said smiling. The other two laughed.

"Did you learn how to predict the future?" Ron asked in a horrible imitation of Professor Trelawney. His friends chuckled.

"No but he says that every person in the world has their own line of stars. Another star shifts into their line every time a person celebrates their birthday. And when two lines intersect it means two people are going to meet. Apparently it's possible to tell when person's life is going to end because there isn't a shadow where another star should go." Cameron explained.

"Wow that sounds a lot more interesting then that rubbish Trelawney is shoving out to us." Ron said. Cameron nodded.

"Do you know where your star line is?" Draco asked. Cameron pointed his wand skywards and muttered a simple spell. A thin white jet of light shot from his wand tip into the sky and connected a line of about forty stars.

"All you've got to do to find your star line is find your zodiac sign. My birthday is at the beginning of May so I'd look for Taurus. Then you go from the northern most star in the constellation and count down how old you are at the time you first start looking for your line. The stars to the left of that one are years gone by. To the right of the last star there should be a faint glow that represents where you're next star will go."

Cameron helped Ron and Draco find their own star lines even though it took quite a while since neither boy knew their zodiac sign or even what that meant.

_Snap_

"What was that?" Ron asked suddenly. He sat straight up suddenly and drew his wand. Draco readied his wand as well and stood with his friends.

"What'd you hear Ron?" Cameron asked. The red head shook his head.

"I'm not sure I thought it was footsteps or a twig or something." He said.

"It could have just been a creature coming out for the night." Cameron said though he didn't relax the grip on his wand any. The trio stood with their backs together so as not to get caught off guard.

_Snap_

"There it is again!"

"I heard it."

"Draco, get Harry and Ginny and tell them it's time to go." Cameron said quickly. The blonde stepped out of the triangle and dove into the branches. Moments later he emerged with Harry and Ginny, both of whom had their wands out and ready.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

"We're not for sure but I think you lot need to get out of here." Cameron said urgently. The group began walking back towards the castle using the trail Cameron had showed them earlier.

"STUPEFY!"

Cameron dove to the ground dragging Ron down with him. Harry pulled Ginny down and Draco collapsed alone.

"Where'd that come from?" Ron asked as everyone formed a circle with their backs together.

"Keep moving!" Cameron ordered.

"Sectumsempra!"

"AHH!"

"Ron!" Ginny shrieked. Ron fell to the ground clutching his bleeding left leg in pain. Ginny knelt beside her brother and ripped a piece of her cloak off to wrap around the gushing wound. Ron bit back pained cries as his sister worked to stop the bleeding.

"Stupefy!" Cameron cried shooting blindly. "cover Ron and Ginny!"

He, Harry, and Draco formed a protective triangle around the siblings aiming their wands in random directions, unable to pin point where the attacks were coming from. Draco aimed his wand skyward.

"Lumos Maxima!" he cried. A large ball of light shot into the sky and exploded, illuminating the area around them long enough for the teens to see about six death eaters surrounding them.

"Stupefy!" Cameron cried again.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.

"Stupefy!" Draco called just as the light faded out. Harry knew his spell hit when he felt a wand fly into his left hand. He quickly snapped it in half and threw the pieces to the ground.

"Protego Maximus!" Cameron shouted. The group watched as a glowing force field surrounded them just as a steady stream of curses shot towards them. Draco and Harry added their own power to the field in an effort to make it stronger.

The five remaining armed Death Eaters shot a powerful stunning curse at the shield in unison. Surprisingly the shield held though a large crack appeared in the top part of it. Suddenly a Death eater slammed into the shield and fell to the ground where he lay motionless. Confused the teens looked in the direction the man had come from and found Firenze kicking at another Death Eater.

"Firenze, get out of here!" Cameron cried out. Taking advantage of the teen's distraction the four death eaters shot at the shield simultaneously. The shield exploded and all three boys were thrown in different directions. Draco collided with the centaur and both fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that." Draco muttered, jumping up and shooting a cutting spell at a nearby Death Eater.

"Ginny get Ron out of here!" Harry ordered. The red head nodded and helped her brother hop out of the way of the crossfire. Cameron, Harry, and Draco were all locked in heated battles. Firenze aided by helping Ginny and Ron find shelter in a hollowed out tree.

"Get them you fools!" cried the unmistakable voice of Lucius Malfoy. Draco growled and shot a stunning spell at his father but was caught off guard when the man sent it back with surprising speed. The Slytherin fell to the ground in a motionless heap.

"Draco!" Harry and Cameron called together. The pair was back to back as they shot spells in all directions. It was now four against two.

"Forget Scott, let's just grab Potter!" Yaxley cried out.

"Sectumsempra!"

"Ahh!"

"Shit, Harry!" Cameron cried out. He felt his friend fall behind him. Yaxley and Nott dove forward to snatch up the teen and before Cameron could interfere he felt a curse collide with his chest and send him flying backwards into a tree.

Ignoring the black spots dancing around his vision Cameron forced himself to stand and dove towards Nott who had one arm wrapped around Harry's neck. Nott reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing purple key. He muttered something right as Cameron flew forward, clinging to the man's ankle. Nott kicked at the teen and Cameron felt a curse fall close to him but soon the pull around the naval told Cameron that his not so well thought out plan and worked.

Firenze, Ginny, and Ron watched in horror as the Death Eaters disappeared after Nott got away with Harry and Cameron. As soon as they were all gone Ginny ran over to Draco.

"Ennervate." She said through tears. Draco sat up quickly and grabbed his wand. He looked around wildly and then turned back to the sobbing red headed girl.

"Oh no." he said quietly. Ginny nodded.

"They're gone. The Death Eaters got Cameron and Harry." She sobbed.


	6. Chapter 6

At Voldemort's lair Cameron and Harry were stripped of their wands and taken to the dungeon. The Death Eater's put both teens in the same cell but chained them to opposite walls by their wrists. The boys fought against their captures until Yaxley used the Cruciatus curse on them a few times. Soon Harry and Cameron were left alone in the dungeons.

Cameron slammed his fists against the concrete wall and growled in frustration. He laid his head against the wall behind him and closed his eyes as he spoke to Harry.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. Harry looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"For once they weren't after you, just me. You shouldn't be here." Cameron said.

"Neither should you."

"But it's your bloody anniversary! I shouldn't have asked you all to come into the forest. It was stupid and selfish of me."

"Selfish? Cameron have you lost you're mind? You were doing something for us and…"

"And look where it got you." Cameron argued. He looked at his friend with intense guilt shining in his eyes. Harry sat up as well as he could with the pain shooting through his wounded leg where the cutting curse had caught.

"Cameron, whatever guilt trip you're on, snap out of it! This isn't the time or place for dwelling on things we have no control over alright?" Harry said sharply. Cameron nodded firmly and shook his head.

"Okay. I'm good, I'm focused. What are we going to do?" he said.

"I have no idea." Harry admitted after a minute.

"Great."

Harry tilted his head so he could look at his watch.

"How long has it been?" Cameron asked.

"About ten minutes."

Back at Hogwarts Professors Dumbledore and Snape sat on one side of Ron's bedside in the Hospital wing while Ginny, Draco, and Hermione sat on the other. Madame Pomfrey had retired to her office as soon as she fixed Ron's wound and gave him a blood replenishing potion. Professor McGonagall stood at the foot of the teen's bed. Sirius, who had been floo called as soon as everyone else had been informed, paced the room like a caged animal. Remus watched his friend from his own seat beside Hermione.

"Albus is what Ms. Granger says true?" she asked grimly. After a tense moment the headmaster nodded once. Sirius stopped pacing, McGonagall dropped her head, and the teens glared at the Headmaster.

"Regardless of whatever Cameron may have done to you or anyone else allowing him to be captured by You-Know-Who is the most horrific thing I could possibly imagine you doing Albus. This isn't like you in the slightest." Remus said his voice low and dangerous as he fought to contain his anger.

"First you try to kill him and now this?" Hermione whispered. Her eyes shone with tears as she stared at the man. Dumbledore looked everywhere but at his students.

"Harry was not supposed to a part of this." He said quietly. Sirius growled and stormed over to the headmaster and bent over until only inches separated the pair.

"Well he is and you had better do something to bring him back or so help me…"

"Sirius." Remus said firmly. The animagus turned to his friend but didn't move away from Dumbledore.

"This isn't going to solve anything and as we all know Cameron does not have very much time." The werewolf reasoned. Sirius finally turned away from Dumbledore only to advance on Snape.

"How do we get to the Dark Lord's lair?" he demanded.

"You know I cannot tell you that, you fool." Snape hissed. Sirius growled and grabbed Snape by the front of his robes picked him up out of the chair and slammed him into the nearest wall.

"Either you tell me how to save my godson or I will kill you." He said.

"I would like to see you try." Snape snapped.

"Sirius, Severus that is quite enough!" McGonagall said sharply. Sirius released his grip on the potions master and continued to pace.

"We well alert the Order of what has happened. As we know Severus is unable to tell us where the Dark Lord resides or how to penetrate the wards that are protecting his whereabouts. We will have to come up with another way." McGonagall said.

"How can we help?" Draco asked immediately. The transfiguration professor shook her head.

"You will go back to your common rooms and do nothing. We will do what we can to bring them both back safely but we cannot do that if you lot are constantly underfoot."

"We won't be in the way. We can help." Ginny argued.

"No, that is my final word. Mr. Weasley you are to remain here for the night and none of you are to sneak down to visit with him. Now off with you." She said. Hermione, Ginny, and Draco left the Hospital wing angrily. Once down the corridor a ways the Slytherin kicked the wall in frustration.

"Why won't they let us help? They are our friends after all." Ginny said as Draco began to pace.

"Haven't we proven ourselves time and again?" Hermione asked. Her friends nodded.

"Well we'll just have to do it again, won't we?" Draco said mischievously.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"If they won't let us help then, fine let them figure out some plan of their own. But I say we try to come up with something so that when their plan fails, we'll be able to show them how much they really needed our help." Draco explained. The girls nodded. Hermione looked at her watch.

"Merlin, it's already been almost half an hour!" she exclaimed.

"Oh gods we'd better get to work." Ginny said. Draco and Hermione nodded and the trio headed down the corridors brainstorming every possibility they could think of to find Harry and Cameron.

"What if we use Legimens on Sev so that he doesn't actually have to tell us where the Dark Lord's hideout is?" Draco suggested.

Hermione shook her head.

"I doubt he'd let us do that for one thing and You-Know-Who would probably be able to tell if Snape willingly let us into his mind."

"What about side-along apparation?" Ginny suggested after a while.

"You can't apparate without knowing where you're going." Hermione said. "Besides I'm sure there's wards in place just like around Hogwarts."

The teens fell silent. None of them wanted to think of what their friends might be going through at this very second.

Cameron was beginning to get restless. He kept shuffling his feet and switching positions every so often.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked. Cameron nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said. "How long has it been?" he asked. Harry twisted his head to look at his watch again.

"Um about forty five minutes or so." He said. Cameron shifted again making his chains rattle loudly.

"How's your leg?" he asked trying to distract himself from the uncomfortable tingling feeling that was rising up in his chest.

"I think it's finally stopped bleeding." Harry said. "Or else it's just numb." Cameron noticed that his friend was rather pale but didn't bother bringing it up. The pair fell silent. As the minutes ticked away Cameron's breathing quickened. The teen let out a pained groan and bit down hard on his lip. Harry looked at his watch. In five minutes Cameron's hour would be up.

Harry looked away from his friend when he heard the dungeon doors swing open and slam shut again. The Gryffindor gasped as the dull throb in his scar flared. The pain was so intense he was sure his skull was about to split in two. Voldemort entered the cell with Snape and Lucius behind him. The man grinned evilly at Harry who was thrashing his head against his arms in agony. Cameron didn't acknowledge the new arrivals in the cell as he fought to keep his breathing regular.

Voldemort walked away from his teenage foe and stood in front of the other suffering boy.

"Dumbledore is responsible for your suffering. He is at fault for stealing away your chance of living a life of your own."

Cameron's intense blue eyes bore into the Dark Lord's for a moment before he slammed them shut against the pain.

"Revenge controls your soul, rage burns in your heart. You wish to make him suffer as you have. You want him to feel your pain and experience the horrid feeling of isolation you have suffered through for so many years." Voldemort continued.

"I can help you get the revenge you seek, the justice you desire. I can give you the freedom you long for." Voldemort reached into his robes and pulled out a long jet black wand. He aimed it at Cameron and muttered a long complicated spell. Harry forced his eyes open against the blinding pain in his head and watched as a white light covered Cameron's body. The teen's breathing became more erratic and he cried out painfully. As the spell went on Harry watched Cameron's muscles relax visibly. His expression became less pained and he began to breathe normally again. Voldemort flicked his wand and the light vanished and Cameron's wrists were freed of the chains. The teen sat, rubbing his wrists and looking at the Dark Lord in disbelief.

"I don't believe it." He breathed. Voldemort turned and made his way back to the cell door where Snape and Malfoy stood waiting. The trio left the dungeons after Malfoy locked the cell. Cameron stared after them dumbfounded. He turned to Harry with wide eyes.

"H-he set me free." He said. Harry shook his head weakly.

"Something is wrong, Cameron. He wouldn't do something like that without a motive behind it."

"I know but I'm free." Cameron walked over to his friend and knelt beside him. Harry couldn't help but smile at the childlike excitement that shone in his friends eyes. "Do you know how long I've been waiting, how hard I've been praying, how horribly I've wanted this?" Cameron said breathlessly. Harry shook his head.

"Just be careful. I don't think this is the last time we'll be seeing any of them."

Cameron nodded and winced when he caught sight of Harry's leg.

"Bloody hell." He said. In a flash Cameron ripped off the bottom few inches off his cloak and tied it around the wound.

"Thanks." Harry said.

"No problem mate." He said before sitting beside his friend and resting his arms on his knees.

The pair didn't speak for a moment until Cameron began laughing. Harry looked at him as if he were insane.

"You've gone loopy." He said matter-of-factly. Cameron shook his head and smiled.

"I'm finally free of the forest only to be trapped in a cell. Irony blows mate."

The pair laughed lightly and fell into a comfortable silence.


	7. Chapter 7

No one else entered the dungeon for the rest of the night. The next morning Snape entered the cell with Lucius close behind. The men found Cameron lying on his back on the floor with his hands behind his head, sleeping. Harry was asleep as well with his chin resting against his chest. Snape rolled his eyes and made sure to make as much noise as possible while he opened the cell doors. Cameron jumped awake and smirked when he saw who had disturbed him. He stretched lazily before standing.

"Lucius Malfoy, I always knew you'd end up with your lips attached to someone's arse but I never pegged you as bright enough to survive as a Death Eater."

"Crucio."

Cameron fell to his hands and knees as pain engulfed him. He didn't give Lucius the pleasure of hearing him scream. When the curse finally lifted he stood again.

"Good to see some things just never change. You've still got a short fuse but you've finally got the power to back it up."

"Crucio." Lucius said again. The man held the curse longer this time and Harry was sure Cameron would keep his mouth shut but apparently freedom made the teen cheeky because when he stood again he smirked.

"It's taken you 28 years to master a single spell. Congratulations Malfoy."

"Crucio."

Again pain enveloped Cameron's body. He felt the anger Lucius was pushing into the curse and thought it might be better to keep silent this time. When the curse was finally lifted Cameron stood shakily and merely glared at the man with a tiny smirk on his lips.

"The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you." Snape said icily. Cameron nodded and followed the men out of the cell.

"Be careful." Harry called. Cameron nodded to his friend as Malfoy locked the cell and pushed him towards the dungeon door. The Death Eaters led the way down two corridors, up flights of stairs and through so many other doorways and around so many corners that Cameron was sure they'd forgotten where they were supposed to be going. He also figured there was no possible way he would be able to find his way anywhere in the huge manor.

"That is precisely the point." Snape said.

Cameron realized the man must have just read his mind and quickly wiped out his thoughts. The teen had never learned how to occlude his thoughts but hoped keeping his mind blank would suffice. The group came to a stop in front of a set of heavy oak doors.

"Go." Lucius said in a low whisper. Cameron didn't look at either man as he pushed the door open and let it close again behind him. He found himself in a small room with only a single window and dark fireplace inside it. Voldemort stood looking out the window at his large estate. He didn't turn as he spoke to Cameron.

"Come here."

Cameron hesitated slightly before walking over to stand beside the Dark Lord at the window.

"I have freed you of a curse that has imprisoned you for many years. I have offered you my help in extracting revenge on Albus Dumbledore. It is time for me to request something in return."

Cameron tensed but kept his face expressionless.

"Give me Hogwarts and all those who reside within."

The pair faced each other.

"Hogwarts is not mine to give and the students inside aren't yours to take."

Voldemort was silent for a moment. He turned back to the window while Cameron continued to stare at him.

"Boldness will do you no good here." Voldemort said in a low hiss.

"It's worked well for me so far." Cameron retorted. Voldemort stared into the teen's eyes intently. Cameron fought not to take a step back as he felt the Dark Lord attack his brain. Suddenly pictures of Cameron sitting in a throne and looking down at hundreds of people bowing to him flashed in front of his eyes. Images of Cameron ordering people around and them rushing off to do his bidding played like mini movies in his mind.

"Join me Cameron and I can offer you power beyond your comprehension. No one will second guess you, no one can touch you, and all will obey your every whim." Voldemort said enticingly. Cameron watched as people rushed forward to give him gifts and crowds roamed the streets cheering his name and throwing parades in his honor. A small smile tugged at the teen's lips.

"All you want in return is…"

"Hogwarts." Voldemort finished for him. Cameron shook his head once but the images didn't clear.

"You'll kill the students." He argued. Voldemort strengthened his grip on the boy's mind. He sent forth images of Harry, Ron, Draco, and all of Cameron's other friends standing in a group talking. Cameron tried to push the images out of his head but Voldemort pushed harder. Suddenly Death Eaters appeared and attacked the teens.

"No stop!" Cameron cried out. "Don't hurt them!" he shouted out, the pictures were so real he could almost smell the fresh air of Hogwart's grounds. One by one the Death Eaters struck down Cameron's friends. The teen watched in horror as they fell to the ground and lay motionless.

Finally the images faded and Cameron found himself on his hands and knees in front of the Dark Lord. Cameron pushed himself up and glared.

"If you choose to refuse my generous offer this is the fate you have chosen for your friends and ultimately yourself. Join me and they will be spared." Voldemort held his hand out to the teen. Cameron looked from the offered hand to the man's eyes. Knowing he had no other choice Cameron shook firmly. As soon as his hand made contact with Voldemort's pain surged through his entire arm. Cameron bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain and struggled to keep from falling to his knees. Voldemort held strong, making sure the teen couldn't pull his hand away. Finally the pain faded to a sharp throb, leaving Cameron gasping and clutching his arm close to his chest. He slid his sleeve up above his elbow and found a coal black snake was wrapped around his arm starting from his wrist and going up to his shoulder. Cameron looked at Voldemort in horror.

"It is simply a temporary Mark. It will allow you back to my manor after I send you to Hogwarts."

"The wards won't allow me on Hogwarts grounds with this." Cameron hissed.

"Severus is able to enter the school you will do so as well. I don't feel I need to tell you the importance of remaining unseen." Voldemort explained.

"When do I leave?" Cameron asked.

"You will wait until you are summoned." Voldemort turned and left the teen alone in the room. Cameron stared at the mark on his arm. He touched it and hissed in pain. Disgusted by the sight of it, Cameron jerked his sleeve over the mark, ignoring the painful tingling that resulted from the fabric rubbing against the sore skin.

Snape and Malfoy lead Cameron back to the dungeon and locked him back in his cell without a word.

Once the Death Eaters left, Cameron stayed beside the cell door.

"Cameron?" Harry called softly. Cameron didn't respond.

"What did he do to you?" Harry asked. Cameron walked over to Harry and knelt in front of him. His blazing blue eyes shone with desperation.

"Harry I don't have a choice. There's no other way. You've got to believe me, okay? Please, just say you believe me and that you'll still believe me after I do it."

"Cam…."

"Just say it!"

Harry stared into his friend's eyes before nodding slowly.

"I believe you."

Cameron sighed heavily and walked away from his friend. He began to pace.

_Alright Cameron, keep it together._ He thought firmly. _He thinks he's got the upper hand but we'll see about that. If I come up with a plan of action I can stay at least half a step ahead of him. _

Harry watched his friend pace and wondered what Voldemort had done to put the teen so on edge.


	8. Chapter 8

At Hogwarts Hermione, Draco, and Ginny sat in the Gryffindor common room staring blankly into the fire. None of them had come up with a single good idea. The teens were running on only an hour's sleep as anxiety had kept them awake all night.

"What about the thestrals?" Hermione asked. Ginny shrugged.

"What about them?"

"Hagrid told us they had incredible senses of direction, right? All you have to do is tell one where you need to go and they can take you there without much trouble at all."

"There's just one problem with that, 'Mione." Ginny said, "None of us can see them."

"I hate to add another complication here but what exactly do we plan to do when we get to the Dark Lord's hide out?" Draco asked. Hermione and Ginny looked at him in surprise.

"I actually hadn't thought that far ahead." Ginny admitted.

"Yes Harry and Ron usually just charge into a situation and plan it out as they go. I suppose it's grown on us." Hermione realized. Draco nodded.

"Yeah, well I'm not them so I suggest we come up with some sort of plan."

"How can we do that when we don't even know where the bloody hell we're going?" Ginny exclaimed.

Silence fell over the trio as they withdrew into their own thoughts.

"Draco, your father wanted you to become a Death Eater right?" Hermione asked suddenly. The blonde nodded.

"Well didn't he ever take you with him to some meeting?"

"Only a few Death Eaters are allowed into the Dark Lord's manor. The others stay in a hide out, miles away. If they are summoned the wards are lifted long enough for them to apparate in but other then that they know to stay out."

"So the only way Death Eaters communicate with each other is by apparating in and out of different hide outs?" Ginny asked. Draco shook his head.

"Owls are used just like normal."

"Doesn't anyone notice the owls then? I mean the same owls would be flying in between two seemingly vacant locations, wouldn't that seem a little odd?" Hermione said.

"A special spell is cast on the owls so that they can only be seen inside the wards or when the spell is lifted." Draco explained. Hermione and Ginny nodded and the teens fell silent again. Suddenly the girls jumped up excitedly.

"Hedwig!" they cried together.

"She always knows how to find Harry no matter where he's gone." Ginny said.

"Yeah just like when she followed him to the Leaky Cauldron before our third year!" Hermione added.

"I'll go see if I can find her." Ginny volunteered. She jumped over Crookshanks and ran through the portrait hole.

"Come on Draco you can help me look up information on the spell." Hermione grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him off the couch. Completely lost as to what was going on, the Slytherin followed the girl blindly.

The pair ignored the curious looks of students around them. Everyone had expected those closest to Harry and Cameron to be sitting in their dorms, morning or something, not sprinting through the corridors. Hermione was running so fast she didn't have time to stop as Lupin came around a corner. The pair collided but only Hermione fell to the ground. She leapt back up apologizing.

"That's quite alright. Where are you two headed in such a hurry? I was just coming to check on you." He said. The dark circles around the man's told the teen that he hadn't gotten anymore sleep then they had.

"We're headed for the library. We might have a plan to find Harry and Cameron!" Hermione explained eagerly. Remus's eyes reflected his surprise.

"What's your plan?" he asked.

"Harry's owl Hedwig always seems to know where he is. No matter how far apart they are she can find him. We plan to use this spell that Death Eaters use on their own owls to keep them invisible from anyone else's eyes on Hedwig. Then she can find Harry and if we send parchment and a quill with her he can write back to us and maybe he's come up with some sort of plan." Hermione explained quickly.

"How will Hedwig go unseen by the Death Eaters? If they spot her she will surely be killed." Remus reasoned. Hermione nodded.

"I thought about that but if we put the spell on Hedwig so that it doesn't lift even if she's inside the wards she should be fine."

"Then how will Harry see her?"

"Hedwig is very smart, Professor Lupin, she'll figure out a way to make Harry know she's there." Hermione said. Remus nodded but still looked skeptical.

"I don't know Hermione. This plan is based almost completely on chance. If Hedwig were to get injured during flight or get intercepted and who's to say she'll be able to track Harry at all? It seems like you are getting your hopes up extremely high and I just don't want to see you get upset if it doesn't work."

"Well at least we will have tried. I don't see the Order coming up with anything better." Draco said hotly. He turned to Hermione and nodded towards the library. "Come on."

Hermione nodded and followed the Slytherin without another word to her former Professor. Remus watched the pair run off and shook his head. Half of him hoped the plan was just crazy enough to work but the other half thought it was just plain crazy.

It didn't take the teens long to find a book on invisibility spells. They practiced on a piece of scrap parchment and made sure to check if there were any warnings against using the spell on animals. Hermione copied the spell down on another piece of parchment and put the book back on the shelf. Hermione took out a piece of clean parchment and sat down to write her letter to Harry.

_Dear Harry,_

_If our plan worked you're reading this letter and Hedwig is safe. All the spells in place are time sensitive so once Hedwig and the letter become visible they will remain that way for about five minutes before they disappear again. I can't say much else in case something goes wrong and this is intercepted but everyone is worried sick about you two. We're going to try and rescue you Harry, don't think we're just going to sit here and do nothing. If you can, write back. We hope to hear from you soon. _

_Love Hermione._

Hermione folded the letter up so that it was barely bigger then a paper clip. She shrunk the quill to the same size and sealed them both in an envelope which she also shrank.

"I'd better make this invisible so it won't give Hedwig away." Hermione said.

"Then how's Harry supposed to read it?" Draco asked.

"I read somewhere that it's possible to set spells on things and have them end as soon as another witch or wizard touches it. I've been practicing and I think I can do it on this envelope." Hermione set the envelope on the desk and muttered two incantations; the first turned it invisible and the second set the magic sensitive timer. She set down her wand and gently touched the area she'd seen the envelope disappear. Upon her touch the envelope reappeared and grew to its normal size.

Both teens grinned and Hermione pocketed the envelope.

"I'll charm it after we've got it on Hedwig. We'll use the same spells on her except the shrinking one of course." Hermione said quickly. She sighed heavily as she turned to face Draco.

"I hope this works."

Draco smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"It will." He said. Hermione nodded and led the way out of the library.

They pair went up to where the school and pet owls were kept. They found Ginny sitting on a windowsill with Hedwig on her arm. The red head was speaking to the owl softly as she stroked her brilliant white feathers. She looked up when she heard her friends enter.

"I was just telling Hedwig what we were doing. I think she understands what she's supposed to do." Ginny informed them. Hermione nodded. She took the envelope out of her pocket and tied it around the owl's leg. Hedwig hooted softly and Hermione stroked her feathers.

"You're our only hope Hedwig. I don't know we'll do if this doesn't work." Hermione said. She took the bird on her arm and walked over to the window. Hedwig nipped at her ear gently as if trying to tell her that everything was going to be fine.

"Be careful, Harry will never forgive us if something happens to you." Hermione said. She cast the invisibility and magic touch spells. The Gryffindor knew the owl was gone when the weight on her arm lifted. Draco, Ginny, and Hermione stood in silence for a while before leaving the owlry together.


	9. Chapter 9

Around mid afternoon Snape and Lucius retrieved Cameron from the dungeons. The teen followed them without any comments; snide or otherwise. He was led into the same room as before but this time Voldemort was absent and in his place was a circle of about fifteen Death Eaters. Snape stepped into the middle of the circle, pulling Cameron with him. The potions master waved his wand and a holographic view of Hogwarts and its grounds appeared in front of him. Lucius flicked his own wand and six glowing red dots appeared in certain areas on the map.

"Death Eaters will be stationed at each of the positions indicated here." Lucius explained. "You are to lead groups of at least three students at a time to each position. From there the Death Eaters will bring them here."

"Everyone knows Harry and I were kidnapped won't they think it's a bit odd for me to be walking around the grounds?" Cameron questioned.

"Before you approach any given group of students, cast a specified memory charm on them so that they will not remember that either of you have been missing." Snape said.

"It is not important how you get them where they need to be so long as you get them there." Lucius continued. Cameron nodded once. His throat was dry and his stomach was tied in knots from the intense guilt he felt.

"What happens when I've taken students to all six positions? What do we do when their friends realize that people are missing? " Cameron asked.

"You ask too many questions." Lucius said irritably.

"Concern yourself with getting the students into place. I will cover their absences." Snape explained. He waved his wand and the map disappeared and was replaced by a glowing blue key.

"This is your portkey. It will take you through the break in the wards. Tap it with your wand twice to return here." Snape explained.

"What wand? You took mine." Cameron snapped. Snape gestured with his free hand and one of the Death Eaters in the circle stepped forward, producing Cameron's wand from his pocket. Cameron took his wand and pocketed it. Snape grabbed a handful of Cameorn's robes and pulled the teen closer to him so that Cameron's ear was level with Snape's mouth.

"If you try to run we will know and the Dark Lord will be notified. The mark on your arm will give us your position anytime we choose to activate it." Snape said in a low whisper. Cameron glared at the man before nodding fractionally. Snape released the teen and grabbed the key and handed it to Cameron. When the boy had it in his hand Snape tapped it with his wand to activate it. Moments later Cameron felt the pull around his naval and the room disappeared around him.

The teen landed with a dull thump against the forest floor. After waiting for a moment for his head to stop spinning Cameron stood up and brushed the leaves and twigs off his clothes. Deciding to get through the forest as quickly as possible, he transformed into a fox. It wasn't long until the teen found himself at the forest's edge.

As he reviewed the map in his head he decided to complete the pick up zones in order of which ones were closest to where he stood at that moment.

_That would be the oak tree beside the lake_. Cameron thought. Ducking back into the trees the fox bounded in the direction of the lake. He secretly hoped that no one would be out on the grounds and that all the students would be in the castle eating their lunches in the Great Hall. Unfortunately he saw a few kids wading in the water, staring into its depths intently. The two boys present had their pant legs rolled up to their knees. The smaller of the boys had a camera in his hands and kept snapping pictures every time the larger, rounder boy indicated something in the water. Two girls were there as well. One small, blonde girl was standing at the edge of the water and watching her friends with a dreamy expression. Beside her stood a larger girl with a round face and a cupcake she'd saved from lunch in her hand.

Cameron edged closer but kept in the shadows as he transformed. He slipped his wand out of his pocket and moved without a sound.

"Neville how much longer…" the blonde girl began but she was cut off as Cameron caught her off guard with a memory charm. She looked around in confusion for a moment. The boy named Neville didn't look up from the water.

"What is it Luna?" he asked. Luna shrugged.

"I don't remember." She said nonchalantly. Cameron caught the round girl beside Luna with the spell next. The girl froze half way to shoving the rest of her treat into her mouth and looked at it uncertainly before ingesting it. Cameron targeted the camera boy next and then last was Neville. Both boys looked momentarily surprised to be standing in the water but their confusion quickly faded. Cameron looked around to make sure no one else was around before pocketing his wand and walking straight up to the group.

"Hey guys." He said with a forced cheerfulness. His throat was so dry he was surprised he was able to speak at all. Cameron swallowed hard and tried to ignore the growing lump in his stomach.

"Wotcher Cameron." Eloise responded. Luna nodded her acknowledgement before returning her attention skyward. Neither boy reacted. Cameron stepped up beside Luna and looked up as well.

"What are we looking at?" he asked.

"Water Noogles." Luna answered seriously. Cameron nodded.

"Wouldn't they be found in the water?" he asked. Luna shook her head firmly.

"Oh of course not, noogles are water guardians but they live in trees beside lakes and ponds and things. They jump out and attack when someone disturbs their water."

"So you're keeping watch for Neville and that other kid?"

"Yes, Neville and Collin did not seem to believe me when I explained to them the damages a noogle could inflict if they felt their territory was threatened."

"Have you ever seen a noogle?" Cameron asked still staring at the sky. Luna shook her head.

"Do you want to look in that tree with me then?" Cameron asked. Luna finally looked at the teen.

"Really?"

Cameron met her tranquil gaze and nodded. Luna turned to Eloise and tapped her on the arm.

"Do you want to come help us look for water noogles, Eloise?" she asked. Eloise shrugged and nodded.

"Sure why not?"

The trio turned and walked over to the oak tree beside the lake. Cameron helped study the front side of the trees and then volunteered to move to the back.

"Oi, Luna come look at this!" he exclaimed. The girl ran around the edge of the tree and gasped sharply as she was grasped around her waist. Before she understood what was happening she found herself gagged and bound so that she couldn't move. Cameron couldn't look at the girl as she stared at him in disbelief. He cleared his throat to move the lump that was growing inside it.

"Eloise, come here we found one!" he cried. The moment Eloise came around the corner she screamed. Cameron silenced her by throwing his hand over her mouth and handing her over to the death eaters who bound her in the same fashion as Luna. Both girls had tears in their eyes.

"Luna? Eloise?" Neville called. Neither girl made a sound as the Death Eaters aimed their wands at them threateningly. Cameron heard the boys coming closer and jumped out to meet them.

"Luna climbed up in the tree and Eloise went after her, now they're both stuck, could you two help me get them down?" he asked.

Neville nodded.

"Collin, you may not want to get any pictures of this. It might embarrass them." He said, smiling. The younger boy nodded and set his camera down at the base of the tree. Cameron didn't watch as the boys were bound and gagged. The Death eaters pocketed all four of their wands. One of the masked figures nodded approvingly at Cameron, making the teen feel sick to his stomach. He watched as the group disappeared in front of his eyes. Cameron felt an icy shiver crawl down his spine. He couldn't seem to get the looks of disbelief out of his mind. After a minute the teen shook his head sharply.

_This is the only way to insure my friends stay safe. I will set this right again, even if it's the last thing I do. _


	10. Chapter 10

Draco, Ginny, and Hermione sat on either side of Ron's bedside in the Hospital Wing. They had just filled him in on their plan about Hedwig.

"Do you think she'll make it? We have no idea how far of a flight that is." He asked. Hermione shrugged.

"We didn't know what else to do, Ron. Cameron is probably dead by now. We had to do something before something happens to Harry too." The girl's voice caught in her throat when she spoke about Cameron and Ron rubbed her arm comfortingly. At that moment Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the Hospital Wing.

"Alright Mr. Weasley you are free to go. Your leg might be a bit sore for a few hours but it will get better the more you use it." She said.

"Thanks Madame Pomfrey." Ron said sincerely. With the help of his friends the red head left the Hospital Wing.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked after a while. No one answered right away because no one really knew. They all knew they should study some more but it would be impossible to concentrate properly with all the thoughts racing through their heads.

"What do you suppose the Order is going to do?" Ginny questioned.

"Let's find out." Draco said immediately. "We can ask Professor McGongall first and when she doesn't tell us maybe we can find Sirius." Hermione, Ron, and Ginny agreed with the idea and together the group made its way to the transfiguration classroom.

Cameron stood at the edge of the Quidditch Pitch and shot the memory charms up at the boys in the stands. Fred and George were showing Lee and Seamus their newest creations and all of them were so wrapped up in it they hardly noticed the spells until they couldn't remember exactly what they'd just been saying. Cameron climbed up into the stands and greeted the boys.

"Hey Cameron, might we interest you in our latest creation?" George offered, holding up a bright pink toothbrush. Cameron smiled. He tried not to look at the edge of the stands where he knew the Death Eaters would be waiting.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It depends on which color you get." Fred said excitedly. He pulled out three more toothbrushes from his pocket, each was a different color.

"The pink ones make you burst out laughing anytime someone says your first name. You absolutely cannot stop until someone says your last name." George explained. Cameron laughed.

"It's brilliant because it's really only teachers who use surnames anymore." Lee said with a smile. The boys laughed at the thought of students running around laughing like maniacs, trying to get someone to say their last name.

"The green ones are a little messier." Fred said.

"They make you sneeze for up to an hour or two, depending how long you brush with it." George said.

"I heard you can die after seven sneezes." Seamus said uncertainly.

"Well if you can find away to stop sneezing long enough to brush your teeth with the same brush again, you'll be fine." Fred said with a nonchalant shrug.

"The blue ones are my personal favorites." George put in before Seamus could comment further.

"Anytime you say someone else's name you feel like you have to use the bathroom really badly. But then when you try to go, nothing happens. It's really funny because you get to watch people try and talk to their friends and then they keep running to the loo." Fred explained. The boys laughed.

"That's evil." Cameron said.

"The black one makes you break out in black heads **all **over your body." Fred said with an evil grin.

"That's just wrong." Lee said shaking his head.

"They go away after a few days." Fred reasoned.

"Or weeks…it all depends." George added. The boys pocketed their toothbrushes and stood. The twins began walking in the opposite direction of where the Death Eaters were positioned. Thinking fast Cameron remembered that Fred had something of a crush on Angelina Johnson.

"Fred I thought I saw Angelina, Katie, and Alicia headed for the locker rooms on my way up here." He said. Fred nodded.

"They were practicing quidditch a few minutes ago." Then he got a dreamy look in his eyes. "I would give anything to be that broom." The guys laughed.

"Well come one, maybe we can catch them when they're coming out. There's a Hogsmeade trip coming up sometime isn't there?" Cameron asked. Lee nodded.

"That's right, you can finally ask her out." He said, elbowing his friend in the arm.

Fred nodded once and straightened his robes.

"Alright boys I'll do it but under one condition." He said.

"What is it?" Seamus asked

"You have to come with me." Fred said seriously. His friends chuckled and patted him on the back. Cameron let them pass before falling into step behind them. The boys almost made it to the steps leading out of the stands when the Death Eaters jumped them.

"Cameron help!" Fred cried as his hands were jerked behind his back.

"I can't." Cameron said quietly. The red head stared at him in disbelief but in moments the entire group was gone. Cameron stared at the place Fred had been standing and fell onto one of the bleachers behind him. He took the portkey out of his cloak pocket and flipped it around in his hand. The thought of simply returning to Voldemort's lair and finding another way to save his friends played in his mind but he quickly squashed that idea.

_No, I can't make him angry until I've got a plan._ He told himself firmly. As he tossed the key between his hands a thought suddenly occurred to him. He stared at the key for a long minute.

_Maybe I can save them all and give up Voldemort's hide out at the same time._

The teen sat there for a moment longer before taking a deep breath, pocketing the key and heading off to the next location.

Harry tried not to let the extended absence of his friend bother him too much. He forced his mind to focus on anything and everything else he could possibly think of. Moments earlier a Death Eater Harry had never met before had come to the dungeon and had given the teen a piece of bread and a glass of water. He'd released Harry's wrists and hadn't chained them back up when he'd left. Now the Gryffindor kept rotating his arms to get the tingly feeling out of them.

Suddenly the dungeon door swung open and Harry heard muffled voices and the sound of people struggling to get away from someone else. Harry limped over to the cell door and felt his jaw drop open in shock. Neville and Collin were bound together by magical ropes and had gags shoved into their mouths to stifle their screams. Neville was thrashing around, fighting to break free but Collin looked too petrified to act at all. Harry watched as the Death Eater shoved his friends into the cell beside his own. As soon as the ropes were removed Neville dove for the Death Eater but the cell door was slammed shut and the teen collided with it. After the cell was locked the Death Eater left the dungeon.

"Neville?" Harry called, unsure if he was imagining what he was seeing.

"Harry?" Neville called back with confusion in his voice. "What's going on?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Harry answered.

"Is Cameron a Death Eater?" Neville asked suddenly. Harry was struck dumb in surprise.

"What, no why would you ask that?"

"He was at Hogwarts and he set us up. There was a group of Death Eaters waiting behind a tree by the lake and Cameron knew it. He just stood there and watched while the Death Eaters kidnapped us. Luna and Eloise are here somewhere too but they were taken down a different staircase."

Harry's voice seemed to have gone on strike. He stood at the cell door staring at the bars blankly.

_Was that what Cameron had been so worried about? Is that what he said he didn't have a choice to do?_ He wondered.

"I can't believe this." Neville said hotly.

"Neville…" Harry started but the dungeon door swung open again and two more Death Eater's entered. Fred, George, Lee, and Seamus kicked their legs and struggled against their bonds. The Death Eaters threw them into the cell on the other side of Neville and locked them in after removing their bonds. Harry's stomach and throat were tight and he almost didn't want to ask what had happened. Luckily he didn't have to, Neville did it for him.

"What happened to you lot?" he asked.

"We got jumped by a group of Death Eaters in the Quidditch stands." Fred said angrily.

"They came out of no where! They must have been using a disillusion spell because I never saw them until we got here." Seamus explained.

"Was it just you four?" Harry asked.

"No Cameron was there, but he didn't do a bloody thing. Fred asked for help and he just said he couldn't." George said angrily.

"I think he's telling the truth. Vold…" Harry began but Lee cut him off.

"You always think everyone is telling the truth Harry. In you're eyes it's as if no one can do any wrong. Well Cameron, just shot that idea clean out of the sky." He spat.

"He's only doing it because of Voldemort." Harry argued desperately.

"He's doing it because he probably _joined_ You-Know-Who!" Seamus snapped.

"No, he wouldn't do that." Harry snapped. He winced when his leg barely tapped the bar of the cell door. The Gryffindor slid down the bars and sat on the ground with his back against the cool metal.

"He already did." Neville said softly.

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Draco finally made it to Professor McGonagall's room. Hannah Abbot came out of the room just as they reached the door.

"Hello Hannah." Ginny said warmly.

"Hi Ginny. Have any of you seen Neville? He is supposed to help me with our Herbology essay." She asked. The Gryffindors and Draco shook their heads.

"Oh well. I guess I'll find him later then." She said before turning and walking down the corridor. The quartet walked into the classroom and found their professor sitting alone behind her desk. She looked up at them over the rims of her glasses.

"Can I help you five with something?" She asked.

"Actually we were wondering if the Order has come up with any rescue plans yet." Hermione said as Ginny shut the door behind them.

"That is confidential, Ms. Granger." McGonagall said without looking up from the papers she was writing.

"But since it is our friends who are involved I think we should at least be able to know what you plan to do to save them." Draco argued. McGonagall set down her quill and took her glasses off before looking at each of the teens in turn.

"I am very aware of your connections with Harry and Cameron, Mr. Malfoy but matter's of the Order are to be kept within members only." She said firmly.

The teens argued with her for a while longer but got no where. McGonagall escorted them out of her room and slammed the door shut after them. The group looked at each other and shrugged.

"Alright, let's go ask Sirius." Draco suggested. His friends nodded.

Cameron leaned against the side of the broom shed beside the Gryffindor locker rooms. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina came out laughing and talking loudly.

"Hello ladies." Cameron said. The trio spun around and stopped walking.

"Hey Cameron." Katie answered.

"I saw you three practicing, you've got some pretty good moves." Cameron said smoothly.

"Thanks. We heard you weren't a half bad keeper back in your day." Alicia said. Cameron smirked.

"Half bad," he scoffed. "try the best. Nothing got passed me." The girls laughed at the boy's cockiness. They fell into step on either side of him as he began walking around the broom shed.

"Maybe you could show us what you've got sometime." Angelina suggested. Cameron shrugged.

"Possibly, but I wouldn't want to make you look bad." He said smiling.

"Oh we'll see who makes who look bad." Katie said challengingly.

"We're going up again tomorrow, same time. You want to meet us?" Alicia offered. The smile melted from Cameron's face.

"Um, tomorrow's not good for me." He said. Angelina scoffed.

"Sure, you just don't want to loose to a bunch of girls." She teased. Cameron smiled slightly and picked up his pace slightly to distance himself away from the girls. In a flash the Gryffindors had their hands bound behind their backs. They looked to Cameron for help but the teen just walked away. In a flash the group was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

The dungeon was silent except for the occasional sob from Collin and the comforting whisper of Neville. Harry had tried fruitlessly to make his friends understand the position he believed Cameron was in.

When the dungeon doors opened again the group was less then pleased to see Lucius Malfoy enter. The man's cold eyes shone with a victorious gleam.

"Shortly you will undergo a series of tests to measure your magical and strategic abilities. Those who score well will be brought back here and those who do not score acceptably will be sent through training until you are at the level we want you." The man turned on his heel and left the dungeon. The Gryffindor's were struck speechless. All of them wondered what the tests would consist of. There was no doubt in their minds that the tests would be horribly one sided and difficult, leaving barely any chance for them to succeed.

Harry thumped his head back against the bars, sending dull ringing sound echoing through the room. He jumped away from the cell door when something else tapped it, sending out a more solid ring.

"What was that?" Neville asked.

"The first one was me. I don't know what the other was." Harry answered. He stared intently at the base of the cell door where he was sure the sound had come from. Suddenly the door rang again. This time the ringing continued. Something was tapping the metal bars over and over, making the sound get louder and louder until the boys finally had to put their hands over their ears. Harry scooted himself forward and ran his hand over the bars. He felt the cool metal vibrate wildly beneath his fingertips. The tapping got more incessant the closer he got to the right side of the door and slower when he moved back to the left.

Neville, Collin, Fred, George, Seamus, and Lee pressed their faces against their own cell bars, trying to see what was happening.

The Gryffindor slid his hand closer to the right and the ringing quickened until it was almost a constant buzz in his ears. Finally he reached the very last bar in his cell door and stuck his hand through it. He jumped slightly when his hand brushed something soft. Harry jerked his hand back and the ringing started back up again. Curious, The Gryffindor reached back through the bars and moved his hand around in the air until it brushed against the softness of feathers. Suddenly Hedwig appeared in front of his eyes. Harry stared at the bird in shock. Hedwig hooted happily and stuck her foot through the bars. Harry looked at her leg in confusion.

"What is it girl? There's nothing there." He said. Hedwig hooted again and kept her leg up. Confused, Harry ran his finger over the owl's leg. A tiny envelope appeared as soon as his finger brushed over it. Harry pulled it off the owls leg and the envelope grew to its normal size. Harry opened it up and quill fell out along with a letter and a blank piece of parchment. He opened up the letter and read it to himself.

_Dear Harry,_

_If our plan worked you're reading this letter and Hedwig is safe. All the spells in place are time sensitive so once Hedwig and the letter become visible they will remain that way for about five minutes before they disappear again. I can't say much else in case something goes wrong and this is intercepted but everyone is worried sick about you two. We're going to try and rescue you Harry, don't think we're just going to sit here and do nothing. If you can, write back. We hope to hear from you soon. _

_Love Hermione._

Harry stroked the owl affectionately.

"I can't believe you made it Hedwig." He said in astonishment.

"Oi Harry what's going on?" Fred called.

"Hermione sent a letter with Hedwig!" Harry responded. He grabbed the quill and began writing his response.

"How did she do that?" George asked in confusion.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Harry answered.

_Hermione,_

_You are brilliant! Hedwig made it safe and sound. Voldemort freed Cameron of Dumbledore's curse and is now forcing him to do something. Cameron wouldn't tell me what he's up to but I think it has to do with bringing students from Hogwarts to here for whatever reason because Fred, George, Lee, Seamus, Neville, Collin, Luna, and Eloise are all here as well. I have no idea what's going on Hermione but be careful. Lucius Malfoy told us that we're going to be put through tests of some sort. I don't know what he means by that but I don't think we're going to like it. _

_Give Ginny my love and tell her that I'll make up for our interrupted anniversary some how._

_Harry._

Harry read back through his letter before reaching back through the bars to tie it back onto Hedwigs leg. The owl hooted happily, pleased that she had completed her task.

"You are going to have more owl treats then you can imagine when we get home, girl." Harry said softly. Hedwig nipped at his finger gently. Harry continued to stroke her feathers even after she vanished from sight. The next time a Death Eater opened the dungeon door to check to make sure the boys weren't trying something tricky, Hedwig slipped out the door without him noticing a thing.

Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and Ron sat in the Great Hall feeling more flustered then before. They'd used the floo to talk to Sirius but he hadn't been anymore informative then Professor McGonagall. He said that he wasn't even allowed in the planning because he was too emotionally involved. At that point Remus had to calm the animagus down and told the teens that it was time to leave.

Not knowing what else to do the teens had gone to the Great Hall to get a small snack.

"Where do you suppose Hedwig is?" Ginny asked. Hermione shrugged.

"I just hope she's alright." She said.

"She's a tough old bird, she'll be fine." Ron said.

Cameron made his way to the fountain in the courtyard. There he found two couples sitting and talking together. He hit them each with his memory spell. Lavender Brown and Dean Thomas sat side by side on the fountains edge. While Pavarti Patil and Micheal Corner sat on a bench across from their friends.

"Hello all." Cameron said. The couples said their greetings and offered Cameron to join them.

"Oh I wouldn't want to impose." He said.

"Don't be silly." Lavender pushed. Cameron nodded and sat on one of the mushroom shaped statues.

"So how's it been going, Cameron?" Micheal asked.

"Not bad, all things considered. What have you lot been doing?"

"Just messing around, trying not to loose our minds with the stress of the tests." Pavarti said.

"Yeah I've seen a bunch of kids walking around this one spot at the edge of the forest. There's this flower there whose pollen calms you so that you can concentrate and remember things better." Cameron said.

"Are you serious?" Lavender asked excitedly. Cameron nodded.

"Completely, do you want me to show you where it is?" he asked. The four teenagers stood up immediately. Cameron laughed.

"Okay but if you get caught, don't blame me." He said. He stood with the others and turned to lead them out of the courtyard through an archway. As soon as the group passed through the arch Cameron jumped away from the other students and the Death Eater's attacked. Cameron watched as the boys fought to protect their girlfriends only to be disarmed and bound together. The girls disappeared first in the hands of one Death Eater. The boys were gone moments later, leaving Cameron standing alone in the courtyard.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry looked up when the dungeon door opened. None of the boys had spoken a word to each other since Hedwig had left and when they did it always came back to whether Cameron was a Death Eater or not. Harry still stood alone in believing that his friend knew what he was doing and would never join the Dark Lord's ranks.

Another Death Eater walked in dragging an unconscious Dean and a barely conscious Michael. The pair was thrown into Harry's cell. The Gryffindor limped over to them and began calling their names. Micheal responded with a pained groan but he was able to at least sit up. Dean lay motionless.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"We were ambushed by Death Eaters." Micheal explained weakly.

"So were the others but none of them were unconscious." Harry said. Micheal shrugged.

"They went after Lavender and Pavarti. We tried to protect them but they overpowered us."

Harry nodded as he took off his cloak, folded it, and gently placed it under Dean's head. Micheal looked at Harry intensely.

"Why didn't Cameron help us?" he asked.

"Because he's a bloody Death Eater, that's why!" Seamus cried out. Harry shook his head.

"Cameron is not a Death Eater. Voldemort is forcing him to do all this." He said for the umpteenth time.

"If Cameron's not a Death Eater then I will personally attempt to eat one of Hagrid's rock cakes." George said.

After visiting all six spots he remembered from the map, Cameron started over. He wondered more then once what Snape was doing to cover the absences of over twenty-five students. A few times the teen had to go into Hogwarts after he'd cleared out the grounds. He had to use a disillusion spell on himself to get around to all the different groups.

All though he felt unbelievable guilt about what he was doing, Cameron couldn't help but feel a little bit of a rush every time he talked another group into following him. His excitement, however, was stomped out whenever one of the students called out for his help and he did nothing.

Cameron purposely avoided going after the people who were closet to him. It had been hard enough watching the Weasley twins get kidnapped but Cameron didn't think he could stand watching the same thing happen to Hermione, Ginny, Draco, or Ron. The teen figured he might try to get them each in a different group but whenever he spotted them in the corridors while he was disillusioned, they were always walking together.

While he was doing all of this, Cameron's mind kept drifting back to the plan he was working on. There were defiantly some details he needed to work out such as getting the students to follow him again once they'd all been captured or getting the portkey to someone in the Order in the first place.

After a third go around to all of the areas Cameron had helped to capture over 48 students. He began to work faster the more he heard people looking for their friends in the corridors of Hogwarts. It wasn't long before he had over 72 and then 96 students. At this rate all the students of Hogwarts would be captured before the next day.

Driven by the delight of finding her master, Hedwig pushed herself to fly back to Hogwarts as fast as she could. On the flight to the Dark Lord's lair, the owl had rested twice but now on the return flight she refused to stop at all. The invisibility spells covering her held strong. It wasn't long before Hedwig had the tall pointed towers of Hogwarts castle in her sights.

Unable to sit still, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny took to walking around the castle aimlessly. They tried to occupy themselves with talk about plans for the summer and other things but the conversations never lasted very long. The group sat in the almost completely empty Great Hall.

Hermione looked up when she heard a strange sound.

"What was that?" she asked, looking around. Her friends did the same but shrugged.

"What was what?" Ginny questioned. Hermione didn't answer as she heard the sound again. This time Ginny grabbed her arm.

"What is that?" she asked. Suddenly Ron leapt up from his table and swung his arms over his head wildly.

"Something's pulling my hair!" he cried. Sure enough strands of his red hair kept standing up and falling back down. Hermione gasped in excitement and quickly rushed over to her boyfriend.

"Ron calm down." She insisted. The girl began waving her hands through the air gently until she made contact with soft ruffled feathers. "Hedwig!" she exclaimed as the owl became visible again. Hedwig looked completely exhausted but proud to have been able to help. Hermione took the letter and let Hedwig fly off to take a much needed rest. Draco, Ginny, and Ron hovered around her trying to read the letter.

_Hermione,_

_You are brilliant! Hedwig made it safe and sound. Voldemort freed Cameron of Dumbledore's curse and is now forcing him to do something. Cameron wouldn't tell me what he's up to but I think it has to do with bringing students from Hogwarts to here for whatever reason because Fred, George, Lee, Seamus, Neville, Collin, Luna, and Eloise are all here as well. I have no idea what's going on Hermione but be careful. Lucius Malfoy told us that we're going to be put through tests of some sort. I don't know what he means by that but I don't think we're going to like it. _

_Give Ginny my love and tell her that I'll make up for our interrupted anniversary some how._

_Harry._

"It sounds like he's doing alright." Draco pointed out.

"But what about Cameron, he wouldn't really take students away from Hogwarts, would he?" Ginny asked.

"Of course not." Ron said firmly.

"But Hannah was looking for Neville earlier today, and Harry says that he's with him along with all the others." Hermione reminded her friends.

"But this is Cameron we're talking about." Ron said.

"That may be true but Harry said that he's free now. If You-know-who is the one that freed him, Cameron might want to repay him or something." Draco said with a shrug.

"What are you saying, Malfoy?" Ron snapped.

"What I'm saying, Weasley is that we all know how badly Cameron has wanted to be free. He's so desperate I'd bet he's willing to do just about anything to avoid being trapped again, even if that means taking a few kids out of school."

"But it doesn't even make sense, what does you-know-who want with a bunch of kids?" Ginny asked. Hermione gasped slightly after a moments thought.

"New followers." She said.

"Are you trying to tell me that Cameron, the guy we've all been spending constant time with, the guy who saved Hogwarts, is recruiting new Death Eaters?" Ron asked skeptically. Draco shrugged.

"He may not be doing it willingly, but who's to say he's not doing it?"

Cameron paced in the hall in front of the dungeon doors. Snape had called to him using the huge snake mark on the teen's arm. Finally the dungeon doors opened and Cameron walked in. He didn't drop his disillusion charm until Snape closed and locked the door.

"Over 120 students have been taken as of a while ago." Cameron explained. His throat was dry and his voice came out a little bit raspy.

"Good how long to you expect to need to gather the rest?" Snape demanded.

"A few more hours but how is all of this going unnoticed by anyone? How have none of the teachers noticed that so man students are missing?" Cameron snapped.

"It is the weekend, students are always wandering and doing childish things that keep them busy and out of sight for hours at a time. It is not uncommon for a teacher not to see any one student for a long period of time, if at all." Snape said shortly. Cameron shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest but didn't comment. The potions master hardly glanced at the teen as he organized his potions.

"How do you do it?" Cameron asked.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Snape said.

"How can you be a teacher and stand in front of these kids almost every single day and still do what you do? Tell me how is it that you can let them trust you the way they do and still not feel any sort of remorse or guilt over this."

"They do not trust me. They fear me. I get through my day just as you will when all your friends discover what role you have played in all of this. You will be completely alone. There will be no where to turn, nothing to really fight for and in the end it will not matter what side you are on in this war because one way or another something will be lost. For me it is merely loosing my teaching position but for you it will be the only friends you have ever had. So rather then asking me how I deal with what I do, you should be asking yourself how you plan to make it through what is coming." Snape stared at Cameron for a long while, studying the teen with his cold black eyes. Suddenly he smirked.

"You are scared."

"What?" Cameron exclaimed.

"You are afraid; afraid that for once you're not really in control, afraid that all your friends will soon either be dead or followers of the Dark Lord, afraid that you are setting them up for the same trapped fate you had." Snape said icily. Cameron pulled back his arm and swung to punch the potions master in the face but the man was too quick. Snape had his wand out and had muttered crucio before Cameron even registered what was happening. The teen fell to the ground, writhing in pain but refusing to scream. Snape lifted the curse.

"Get out." He said. Cameron stood shakily, put the disillusion charm back on himself before leaving the dungeon. Fueled by anger at the potions masters words Cameron wasted no time in targeting another twenty something kids.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry, Fred, and Neville were the first three chosen to take the test Lucius had been talking about. They were led into a huge, gymnasium sized room with no windows and a magnificent balcony. Death Eaters filled the balcony's seats as they all stared down at the three boys on the ground level. The teens were surprised to feel their wands being thrust into their hands. Suddenly a voice filled the arena.

"This will be a test one of three. You must pass at least two tests in order not to fail. Failure and success will be dealt with accordingly. Test one will begin now."

Unsure of what was about to happen the boys backed themselves up so they covered each others backs. The walls of the arena began to rotate slowly, picking up speed as seconds passed. Then just as quickly as it began the spinning stopped. The once smooth concrete walls were replaced with dozens of holes each the size of a cannon barrel. For a moment nothing happened. Silence pressed on the boy's ears as they stood waiting.

"Get down!" Harry cried a split second before all the holes shot out jets of brilliant red lights. Fred and Neville fell beside their friend just in time. Neville felt one of the lights singe the middle of his back. The boys ducked, rolled, and dodged as more and more spells were fired at them in rapid succession. Harry barely managed to avoid them due to the searing pain in his wounded leg. Finally he aimed his wand skyward.

"Protego Maxima!' He shouted. Just as when Cameron had used the spell a huge protective force field covered the three boys. Fred added his own power to the shield.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. The teens grunted with effort as the shield took hit after hit.

"Try and destroy them and I'll throw up another shield." Harry said.

"But how do we do that with out destroying the walls?" Neville asked.

"Take the walls out of you have to." Fred said.

"Okay on three." Harry said. Neville readied his wand while Harry and Fred crouched slightly so that they could dive to the ground as soon as the shield disappeared.

"One…two…THREE!"

"BOMBARDA!"

"FLIPPENDO!"

"REDUCTO!"

"Protego Maxima!" The shield went up just as the walls began to cave. Harry saw the Death Eaters struggle to keep their balance on the balcony above the arena. When the dust cloud finally faded Harry let the shield disappear once more and the trio stood back to back uncertainly. The same voice as before filled the arena again.

"Test one has been marked as a pass. Prepare for test two." When the voice faded the only sound was that of the boys' heavy breathing.

Suddenly the all the lights went out and the boys were plunged into darkness.

Hermione pocketed the letter and her friends followed her out of the Great Hall and out onto the grounds. The group had decided to try and find some answers. If Cameron was really at Hogwarts then maybe he'd come talk to them and tell them just what was going on.

"It's so quiet." Ginny said softly as they ran through the corridors. The group burst through the entrance hall doors and ran out onto the grounds, looking around and finding the grounds completely vacant.

"This is beyond strange." Draco said.

"Hermione! Ron!"

The group turned and everyone gasped.

"Cameron?" Hermione said uncertainly. Cameron ran up to his friends and skidded to a stop in front of them, purposely forgetting to hit his friends with the memory charm.

"You've got to help me." He said desperately.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

"Harry's…hurt…in forest!" Cameron answered, struggling for breath. "Follow me." He said. He turned and took off running back towards the forest's edge. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron turned to follow him immediately but Draco reached out and grabbed Hermione's arm, stopping the witch.

"Draco what are…?"

"It's a trap." The blonde said sharply. Hermione turned and saw Ron and Ginny running after Cameron.

"But he said…"

"Hermione, think about what Sirius said. Cameron led groups of students into the forest. I don't want to think that Cameron is doing this but we've got to be honest with ourselves. The vacant corridors, the empty grounds; hundreds of students don't just up and disappear for no reason." Draco said quickly. Hermione stared into the Slytherin's eyes intensely and saw that he was struggling slightly with what he was saying. As much as she didn't want to believe it Hermione knew the blonde was right. Cameron was using Harry as bait to lead the group into danger. Suddenly her eyes went wide.

"Ron and Ginny!" she said. The Gryffindor ripped her arm out of Draco's grasp and took off running towards the forest, screaming her friend's names desperately. Draco followed the girl and pulled his wand out as he ran. The pair skidded to a stop at the forest's edge.

"Ginny! Ron!" Hermione called. At first her cries were met with silence but the sudden snap of a twig told the teens that their friends heard them but were unable to call back. She pulled out her wand and scanned the trees carefully.

"Come out Cameron, we know what you're up to." Draco called. Another twig snapped causing Hermione and Draco to jump and spin around. Cameron stood with two Death Eaters behind him, each holding either Ron or Ginny in their arms. The Gryffindors struggled against their grips fruitlessly.

"Cameron, why are you doing this?" Hermione asked.

"To keep you all safe." Cameron answered after a moment. When two more Death Eater's appeared behind the pair Draco stepped sideways so that his back was touching Hermione's.

"Please just come with us, Mione." Cameron said. The girl shook her head firmly. Draco reached slowly reached behind his back with his free hand and grabbed a handful of Hermione's robes. Hermione felt the slight tug at her back and realized Draco was planning to do something. For a moment no one moved. Ron and Ginny glared at the back of Cameron's head and the Death Eaters held them firmly.

"Bombarda!" Draco cried. He aimed his wand just barely to the left of the trunk of a nearby tree. The Death Eater's holding Ginny and Ron activated their portkey's and disappeared. Draco pulled Hermione by the robes until he was sure the brunette was following. Cameron and the other two Death Eaters trailed after the pair. The Death Eater's kept shooting stunning curses at the teens but all the vegetation made it difficult to get proper aim. Cameron transformed into a fox and tore through the trees.

It didn't take long for Cameron to come within range leaping on the teens. He barely hesitated before jumping onto Draco's back. The Slytherin gasped in surprise and crashed to the ground, caught off guard but the sudden weight on his back. Hermione screamed and tried to help her friend up but she heard the Death Eaters trampling through the brush.

Draco rolled on the forest floor until a tree stopped him. He stood up and slammed himself backwards into the tree, smashing Cameron between his body and the tree's trunk. Cameron fell to the ground but leapt up on all four feet and shook his head. He faced the Slytherin and barely dodged a stunning spell sent from the blonde. Cameron ran up the tree and jumped off again aiming directly for Draco's head. The Slytherin caught the fox around the middle and threw him as hard as he could against another tree. Cameron slid to the ground and this time he didn't hop back up.

Hermione fired a stunning spell at the first Death Eater that burst through the trees. Her aim was true and caught him square in the chest. The other Death Eater dove behind a tree and tried to fire at Hermione as he hid. Hermione set up a shield for herself and waiting for the fire to stop. Draco snuck through the trees and struck the Death Eater with a stunner without him even noticing. Hermione knelt beside the unconscious fox and stroked its soft silver fur.

"Come on, we should take him to the Order." Draco said. "We've got to tell them what he's been up to." Hermione sighed and nodded. She bound the two death eaters together and lifted the fox into her arms after conjuring a rope around its muzzle and paws. Hermione followed Draco out of the forest, up to the castle, and into Professor McGonagall's room. They explained everything they'd discovered and had just been through. Hermione had even showed them the note they'd gotten back from Harry.

"The Death Eater's got away with Ron and Ginny before we had a chance to do anything." Hermione said sadly. She turned to Cameron who lay in a transfigured cage at the back of the room. The fox had his back to the group. McGonagall had called Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Tonks, and a few other members the teen's had never met before, into her room before Hermione had begun her story.

"So all the students are in You-Know-Who's lair?" Tonks asked quietly. Hermione and Draco nodded.

"This shouldn't have happened without anyone noticing." Moody said gruffly.

"What are we going to do to get save the students?" Remus asked.

"Why not have that owl lead us there. If she was able to find it the first time, she may be able to do it again." Kingsley suggested.

"We cannot simply walk or fly into the Dark Lord's lair without a plan of some sort. We must have the element of surprise for us to stand any chance at all." One of the unfamiliar members said. Suddenly a scratching sound caught the groups attention. Everyone turned and saw Cameron had managed to roll himself over and was now scratching at the stone floor with his paws.

"I think he wants to tell us something." Draco said thoughtfully. The fox nodded. Hermione turned to her transfiguration professor.

"Lift the cage but keep him bound." McGonagall said before the girl could even ask. Hermione nodded and walked over to the cage which she lifted up and set to the side. Before their eyes the fox transformed into his human self. His hands and feet were still bound but the rope that had held his muzzle shut had fallen to his chest.

"I actually have a plan." He said.

"We're not interested in anything you have to say." Moody growled.

"Well you'd better get interested and fast. Those tests Harry told you about are no joke. If they fail, they'll be put through training that I'm pretty sure will kill some- if not all- of them." Cameron said icily.

"You've got three minutes to convince us why we should listen to anything you say and not just send you to Azkaban." Kingsley said. Cameron glared at the man for a moment before speaking.

"I've got a portkey in my pocket that takes me back and forth between Hogwarts and Voldemort's hide out. My original plan was to make copies of this key and give them to the students so that they could escape at the same speed I was bringing others in. This way the cells were always full, Voldemort always had someone to entertain himself with and students were slowly arriving back here, completely safe.

"Unfortunately I didn't expect my orders to be that I had to get everyone in almost one swoop so my plan changed. I still think the portkey idea will work but another thought occurred to me. What if the Order had a portkey like mine and used it to get to the Dark Lord's lair? Snape could help me weaken the wards so that they won't recognized the fact that you're arriving without a Dark Mark. Then while the Death Eaters are trying to take care of you, I would get to the dungeons and use more portkey copies to get the students back here while you take out the Death Eaters." Cameron said quickly. The adults looked at him in disbelief.

"How long did it take you to come up with all of that?" Lupin asked. Cameron shrugged.

"All day, sir." He said.

"How do we know this isn't a set up? How do we know that you didn't already tell the Death Eater's about this little plan of yours?" Moody snapped.

"How do I know that you're not going to kill me or turn me in to Azkaban now that I've told you everything you need to know to save everyone?" Cameron countered. No one answered right away.

"How sure are you that this plan will work?" McGonagall asked.

"Very sure, ma'am. All you lot have to do is come up with enough members to take with you so that you don't get wiped out right when you arrive. As far as I've seen there aren't a lot of Death Eaters at the lair so gathering about 30 members should suffice." Cameron said. Moody turned to McGonagall.

"You're not actually going to listen to anything he says?" he said disbelievingly. The witch sighed heavily.

"We don't have a choice, Alastor."


	14. Chapter 14

When the lights came back up Harry found himself a room about half the size of the arena he'd just left. Fred and Neville were no where to be seen. Harry leaned against a wall as his leg threatened to give out. He looked down and realized he'd bled through the makeshift bandage Cameron had made for him out of the hem of his own cloak. Realizing there was nothing he could do about it now Harry took to looking around the room he was presently trapped in.

There didn't seem to be a door anywhere but Harry guessed it was simply charmed to look like the rest of the wall around it. Suddenly the voice from the arena filled the room.

"Your ability to with stand mental torture is vital to joining the Dark Lord's ranks. This room is designed to attack your mentality and drain you of all beliefs that have been drilled into your conscience. Prepare for test two." The voice faded and Harry pushed himself into a standing position. He held his wand at the ready and waiting for something to happen. Suddenly a hole appeared in the ceiling and a black box was lowered to the ground. Harry stared at it expectantly. The front face of the box slowly rose and a figure stepped out. Harry gasped and took a step back.

"Dad?"

Cameron bound Hermione and Draco's wrists behind their backs and pocketed their wands. None of the teens spoke as Cameron activated the portkey and the forest around them disappeared. When the spinning stopped all three teens found themselves on the floor of the room Cameron had originally left from. He helped Hermione and Draco stand up but neither thanked him. Cameron could hardly stand the silent treatment they were giving him and didn't dare look either of them in the eye. A Death Eater came and took Hermione to the dungeon where the girls were being held and Cameron took Draco down to where the other boys were being held. As soon as the pair entered the dungeons silence fell in all the cells. Cameron pushed Draco down the isle between the cells and stopped in front of one that had about fifteen boys crammed in it already. A few of them had scratches and bruises on their faces and arms, having taken the first test already. Draco walked in and waited until the bonds were taken off of his wrists. The Slytherin turned his back on his former friend.

Cameron locked the cell door and made his way back out of the dungeons. He could feel the glares on his back and the hate permeated through the cells as he walked by. Once out in the cool air of the corridor, the teen took a deep breath. He'd only faced looks of loathing and spite like those once before and that time had ended with his imprisonment in the Forbidden Forest. Cameron didn't want to think of what could possibly be his punishment this time.

Harry stared at his father in disbelief.

"Hello Harry." The man said warmly. He spread his arms wide as if expecting Harry to run up and embrace him. For a moment Harry was frozen to the spot. His mind reeled and his heart ached. The Gryffindor shook his head.

"You're not real." He said sadly.

"Of course I am Harry. I'm standing right here, right in front of you. How could I do that if I were anything else but real?" James asked gently. He walked forward and gathered his son in a tight embrace. Harry could hardly catch his breath. His hands shook violently as he slowly moved to hug the man back.

"Dad, I can't believe it. I thought you were dead." Harry said emotionally. James laughed lightly.

"A lot of people did, Harry, a lot of people did." He said. "Your mother and I worked hard for that."

Harry stiffened and jumped away from his father.

"What do you mean you worked hard for that?" he asked.

"Well we had to destroy our house and go into hiding for fourteen years to make sure everyone was completely convinced we were dead but in reality we joined the Dark Lord." James explained nonchalantly. Harry stared at the man in horror.

"No, no that's not true. You were members of the Order. You fought against Voldemort." He argued. James rolled his eyes.

"Of course we wanted everyone to think we were devoted to the light side and for a while there we actually were but then we realized how ridiculous we were being."

"NO! Shut up, you're lying!" Harry demanded. James stepped forward and grabbed both of Harry's shoulders firmly.

"No you listen to me young man if you're going to be any son of mine you had better shape up. You will follow the Dark Lord. You will join the dark side. You will take the Dark Mark." He said. His voice was low and dangerous as he shook his son's shoulders. James grabbed his shirt sleeve and jerked it up away from his wrist revealing the Dark Mark.

"You see Harry, its true." He said warmly. James waved his hand and more boxes fell down from the ceiling. From each box walked another person Harry loved. Ron, Sirius, Ginny, Hermione, Remus and even Harry's own mother walked out of their boxes with their shirt sleeves rolled up, showing Harry their Dark Marks.

"It's the only way Harry." Hermione said.

"Be more like your father Harry. Join us." Sirius cooed.

"I won't love you anymore if you don't take the mark." Ginny snapped.

Harry stared at each of them. They all looked so real so angry with him, even his mother and father.

"No son of Lily and James Potter will be on the light side." Lupin said darkly. He pulled a wand out of his jacket pocket and aimed it at Harry.

"Crucio!" he said. Harry was too dumbfounded to jump out of the way. The curse connected with his chest and sent him straight to his knees. The other imposters stared down at him with smiles on their faces.

"You're weak Harry. I can't believe I ever looked up to you." Ron said in disgust. Harry heard the words and fought against the pain enveloping his body.

"NO!" he cried. Harry threw himself out of the curse's hold and held his wand in front of him.

"Join your friends Harry and we won't have to hurt you." Hermione said.

"You're not my friends." Harry argued. "And you're not my family." He said to Sirius, James, and Lily.

"Well if you're going to be difficult we'll just have to chance your mind a different way." Lily said. She drew her wand from her cloak and aimed it her son.

"Imperio!" she said. Harry felt a familiar calm wash over his mind and heard a little voice chant in his ear.

_Join us, join us, join us_

Harry let his expression fall blank and even lowered his wand slightly. Lily smirked triumphantly. She turned to her husband.

"His mind has been weakened by the light sides training." She said in disgust.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried. The witch's wand soared into his hand and he snapped it half.

"Stupefy!" he shouted before the imposters could register what exactly what was going on. The spell hit the woman square in the chest but instead of simply falling motionless she exploded into a puff of deep green smoke. By now the other's also had their wands drawn. They began firing in unison but Harry managed to dodge them all fairly well. Suddenly they all disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"Test number two has been marked as a pass. You have met the requirements to be accepted into the Dark Lords lower ranks." A door appeared at the far end of the room. "Exit through this door and await further instruction." The voice said smoothly.

For a moment Harry merely stood staring at the place where his mother and father had been standing. He felt tears sting his eyes but blinked them away before making his way through the open door.

Cameron had been called into a small room and given a new pair of black pants as well as a black button down shirt that had the dark mark embedded on the front chest pocket. He was also supplied with a jet black cloak. Cameron stared at himself in the full length mirror with a look of pure disgust on his face. He left the dressing room angrily though he had no idea where he was supposed to go. The Order wasn't scheduled to arrive until Cameron sent the signal and he couldn't send the signal until he was sure all of the students were out of their tests.

Students that failed the tests were sent into a third dungeon like room although there were no cells. They would be put through rigorous training that was designed to both strengthen the witch or wizard and to squash any spirit they had inside them until they could find no reason to fight against what was being asked of them. Cameron had decided that these would be the students he rescued first. So far he'd seen Neville Longbottom, Anthony Goldstein, Lee Jordan, Hannah Abbot, Lavender Brown, and a few others that Cameron wasn't sure of their names get put into this separate dungeon.

The lucky few students who had passed at least two tests were fed and then sent back down to the dungeons they'd been taken from. This time the girls and boys were not put in separate dungeons, only separate cells.

Cameron tapped his pockets where miniaturized portkeys were hidden. The plan was that Draco and Hermione would convince the others to at least trust them so that Cameron wouldn't have to waste as much time trying to do so when crunch time finally came.

The teen winced as he heard the sound of pained screams coming from the failure's dungeons. He couldn't even imagine what could possibly be happening down there. Cameron shook his head and decided that the time to act had finally come. He couldn't help but hope that once this was all over and done, his friends might find it in their hearts to somehow forgive him.


	15. Chapter 15

Sirius paced the Great Hall impatiently.

"I'm going with you." He said hotly. Remus sighed. This was the sixth time the pair had been around this block in the last couple of hours and still Sirius refused to take no for an answer. Remus rubbed his temples and looked up at his friend.

"Alright." He said in a defeated tone. "But Sirius you've got to stick to the plan. You can't go gallivanting off to save Harry."

Sirius nodded.

"I know, I know." He said. "When do we leave?" he asked.

"Cameron is going to send us a signal." Remus said. Sirius bristled.

"I can't believe he'd do this…I thought he'd changed." Remus nodded.

"I really think he has but Voldemort did or said something to make him do what he's done. At first I was as angry with him as anyone else but when I looked into his eyes…" the werewolf sighed again. "I've never seen so much guilt in one person Padfoot."

Harry was sore and exhausted by the time he was finally returned to his now crowded cell. He barely registered how many more people were present since he left until he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ron standing in front of him.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed. The friends threw their arms around each other in a tight hug.

"I can't believe you're here." Harry said.

"Believe me, neither can I." Ron said bitterly. "Cameron set us up."

Harry felt his bubble of happiness in seeing his best friend again burst.

"He only did it because of Voldemort." He said. Ron shrugged.

"It doesn't matter why he did it the fact is he did. I haven't seen Ginny since we got here. Draco showed up a while after I did so I'm guessing 'Mione is probably here too."

Harry squeezed into an empty spot between Seamus and Dean who had finally regained consciousness. The black haired boy put his head in his hands and sighed heavily.

"I promised him, Ron. I promised him that I would believe him no matter what he did."

"He told you he was going to do all this?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head and looked up at the red head. He ignored all the other eyes that were on the pair and all the ears listening in on he conversation.

"Snape and Lucius came and took him away the morning after Voldemort freed Cameron of that curse. When he came back he was really worked up about something. He kept pacing and when I asked him what had happened he ignored me. Finally he looked me square in the eyes. I've never seen him so on edge or terrified. He told me to say that I believed that he had no choice in what he was going to have to do and that I would still believe him after he did it. I said I would and it seemed to calm him down at least a little. It wasn't long after that when he was taken away and people started showing up in the dungeons." Harry explained. He looked around at all the faces looking at him. It was obvious that they were all still angry beyond reason and Harry knew it was very unlikely there was anything he could possibly say to change their minds.

Cameron found Snape in the potions labs. The teen was careful to check for any other Death Eaters that might be looming around and even set up a silencing spell so that there was no chance of being overheard.

"Snape, I need your help." Cameron said firmly. The man faced the teen but didn't speak.

"You have to help me weaken the wards so that the Order members can get through without having someone with the Dark Mark with them."

"What have you done?" Snape hissed. Cameron explained the plan to the potions master, leaving out the fact that he'd already created a couple dozen replicas of the portkey and that the Order was waiting for a signal from him before they attacked.

"You fool. If the Dark Lord discovers this plan of yours we will both be killed." Snape growled.

"He won't find out. When the Order arrives we're all getting the hell out of here. You can come with us." Cameron offered. Snape stiffened.

"I cannot help you with the wards." He said before turning back to the potion he was brewing. Cameron slammed his hands down on one of the lab tables and set the test tubes rocking in their racks.

"Damn it Snape, you have to. I don't by that bull shit you said about not caring what happens to those students. You wouldn't continue the fruitless role of spy if you didn't. You would simply stay here and serve Voldemort like all the other spineless cowards that call themselves Death Eaters. It kills you to see any of the students suffer anything that resulted from this war. It eats at you to know that there's never been anything major for you to do in order to truly protect these kids. Well here's your chance Snape. Right in front of you is the opportunity to stand up for them, protect them from the useless agony they're facing. Help me help them Severus." Cameron said. He said the last line softly. The pair stood in silence for a long moment before Snape finally nodded curtly.

"I will weaken the wards, you send the signal." He said. The man took his cauldron off the fire and left the lab. Cameron watched him disappear around the corner before leaving the lab as well.

The signal would have to be Cameron himself. There was nothing else that could be sent and guaranteed to make it up to the castle. The teen made his way to the only room he knew allowed portkey transport.

About thirty or so members of the Order sat in the Great Hall waiting silently for Cameron to arrive. All of them looked up hopefully when the doors opened but turned away when they found it was only Dumbledore. The headmaster sighed upon seeing this.

"Is there something you need, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"I feel the need to apologize. I realize that this whole incident is almost entirely my fault."

"You're damn well right it is." Sirius snapped hotly. Dumbledore nodded.

"I am very aware that mine is no position to be in when asking for something but I must do so. Please allow me to take place in this attack. It is the only way I see I may be able to redeem myself in your eyes as well as those of my students." He said.

McGonagall turned to the other members of the Order.

"We will hold a vote. Those in favor of allowing Albus to assist in the rescue raise your right hand." She said. For a moment no one moved. They all stared at the Headmaster thoughtfully. McGonagall was first to raise her hand. A long minute after her Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Tonks, and about 13 others raised their hands as well. Sirius was among the ones who kept their hands down. McGonagall nodded and sat down without another word to the Headmaster.

Suddenly the Great Hall doors burst open and Cameron walked in. He looked slightly surprised to see so many people in had showed up but decided not to comment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out eight replicas of his portkey and kept his own in his other hand.

"Split into groups as evenly as possible. You will directly outside Voldemort's lair. Snape is weakening the wards as we speak so that your lack of Dark Marks will not set off any alarms when you pass through." Cameron handed out the portkeys but froze when he realized everyone was looking at him with the same expression.

"How do you get through the wards?" Sirius asked in a low voice. Cameron turned to the man.

"I didn't take the mark if that's what you're getting at."

"Then how do you do it?"

"The wards let you out without the mark, just not in." Cameron said.

"That's not what I asked."

Cameron closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and rolling up his sleeve to show the long black snake that wrapped itself all the way around his arm up to his shoulder. There were several gasps from the adults before Cameron rolled his sleeve back down.

"It's temporary alright?" he snapped. He finished handing out the portkeys. "Wait for exactly three minutes before following me." With that the teen left the Great Hall.

"He's marked." Tonks said softly.

"That's not like any Dark Mark I've ever seen." Kingsley pointed out.

"The point is he's got a mark on his arm and it's from the Dark Lord. We can't go through with this. It's as good as suicide." Moody said gruffly. Murmurs broke out among the group. McGonagall stood and spoke over all the voices.

"We will continue with the plan. The lives of our students are at stake. Cameron will be dealt with after this is all over." She said firmly. No one argued and Remus looked at his watch, counting down the seconds until three minutes would be over and they would finally be on their way.

Cameron arrived back at the lair and found Snape standing in the corner waiting for him.

"The wards have been lowered but will only remain that way for a short time before the Dark Lord realizes what's happening." He said sharply. Cameron nodded.

"The Order will be here in three minutes. I changed the destination on their portkeys so that they'd arrive right outside. That will leave this room completely free so I can move students through here." He explained.

"Are you sure this plan of yours will work?" Snape asked. Cameron smirked.

"I came up with it didn't I?" He walked past the Potions master but stopped just before reaching the door.

"Can you take the portkeys to the students who failed the tests?" he asked. Snape did not have to ask why the boy was reluctant to visit the students who had probably undergone severe physical and mental torture by now. The man agreed and took a few portkeys from the teen. Cameron muttered his thanks before taking off towards the dungeons where the successful students would be kept.

Excitement, fear, and adrenaline pumped through the teen's veins as he ran through the corridors towards the dungeons. Anytime he ran into an elder Death Eater he would stop running and wait for them to pass again before continuing his hasty journey. Outside the dungeon doors Cameron took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He looked at his watch and realized that the Order members should have arrived by now. Up above he heard an explosion and the footsteps of Death Eaters running to defend the Dark Lord's manor.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry and everyone else in the dungeons looked towards the ceiling at the sound of an explosion. Moments later the dungeon doors opened and Cameron walked in. The teen was met with angry glares that bore into every inch of his soul.

"The Order of the Phoenix just showed up. They're going to distract the Death Eaters while you all follow me and portkey out of here." Cameron said quickly, hoping that the mention of the Order might make the students more enticed to follow him. Harry and Ron pushed their way to the front of the cell and Cameron unlocked the door. Ron didn't even look at the teen as he ripped the keys out of his hands and began unlocking the other cell doors. The students stood and slowly filtered out of their cells, forming a hostile circle around Cameron.

"What's the plan?" Harry asked. Cameron turned to his friend.

"I've got one portkey per five or so students. Snape is helping the others. Please I know all of you hate my very existence but I'm trying to save your lives right now."

"Our lives wouldn't need saving if it weren't for you." Fred spat.

"You don't understand…" Cameron began.

"And we don't want to. Get out of here Cameron we don't want your help." Blaise shouted from the back of the group. There were shouts of agreement from a large majority of the students. Cameron felt desperation and urgency mix with anger at the stupidity these students were showing.

"Fine, you know what if you want to stay here and die then be my bloody guest. I'll lock you back in these cells and leave you here. But if you'd get your head out of your arse and actually think for once in your life you'd realize that you're being incredibly stupid. Yes I know what I did was wrong but staying here and letting yourselves get killed is not going to change anything. Now I am asking you to follow me because I am your only chance of getting out of this hell hole." Cameron shouted. Another explosion from up above rocked the dungeon walls and Cameron saw the faces around him reflect their decisions. Hardly any of the boys followed Cameron willingly. They dragged themselves along group by group simply because they didn't like the alternative choice. Harry, Ron, and Draco spread themselves out down the way towards the portkey room. Cameron stood in that room with his wand to activate each portkey as each group filed in.

Cameron had summoned Harry, Ron, and Draco their wands and handed them out to each of the boys so that they could defend themselves if something went wrong with the plan. More then once they had to throw shields up to protect themselves and others from falling debris as the battles between the light and dark rocked the manor. The group Snape had been sent to retrieve merged in with the other boys. Ginny and Hermione hugged and kissed their boyfriends before taking a portkey with Luna, Eloise, and Pansy. The process passed exceptionally quickly and it wasn't long until Cameron called to his friends to signal the transport of the last group. Ron, Harry, and Draco ran into the room.

"Alright let's get the bloody hell out of here." Cameron said.

"You're not going anywhere!"

The teens spun around to find Bellatrix glaring at them with her wand raised. Her hair was frizzed and her clothes were torn, obvious evidence of the battle raging not far away. Cameron pulled the last portkey out of his cloak and shoved it in Harry's hand.

"Go!" he cried. He turned to face the witch and threw up a shield just as she shot a cutting curse at him.

"Cameron…"Harry started but was cut off when Ron and Draco jerked him backwards. Ron raised his wand to activate the portkey but froze when Harry wrenched himself out of his friends grasp and went to help Cameron. Ron cursed and with a quick look at Draco went to join the others. Cameron and Harry each battled Bellatrix while Ron and Draco took on the Carrows who'd come up shortly after Bella.

"You'll die before I let you escape!" the witch screeched.

"We'll see." Cameron retorted, shooting a spell at her. The spell caught Bellatrix off guard and threw her backwards against a wall.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried. He caught the witch's wand in his hand and he snapped it over his knee. Bellatrix let out a blood curdling scream. Ignoring her, Cameron and Harry ran over to help Draco and Ron.

"Bombarda!"

"Sectumsempra!"

One of the Carrows was blasted through the wall while the other fell to the ground clutching her bleeding stomach. Cameron turned his back to Bellatrix while Ron, Draco, and Harry stood in front of him. Ron held out the portkey and tapped it with his wand.

"Cameron!" Draco cried looking over the teens shoulder. Bellatrix was standing and held a large silver dagger in her hand. Her eyes gleamed madly as she threw it. Just as the portkey activated and the teens felt a familiar tug around their navels Cameron felt the icy metal pierce his left side.

The room around them disappeared and soon the grounds of Hogwarts replaced it. As soon as they landed Cameron fell on his side, his head landing on his right arm. Harry dropped to his knees beside his friend and called his name desperately. Cameron didn't respond. He suddenly found it very necessary to tell himself to breathe in and out.

Draco and Ron stood in shock not knowing what to do. The black shirt Cameron wore shone brightly with his blood around the wound. A circle of kids formed around the group as the students realized what was happening.

"Some one get Madame Pomfrey!" Harry cried. When no one moved Harry shouted it again angrily. Two first year Ravenclaws took off running towards the castle. The Gryffindor turned back to Cameron who seemed to be fighting to keep his eyes open.

"I'm so s-sorry." Cameron whispered painstakingly.

"You should be!" Zacharias shouted.

"Good riddance!" Harry looked around to find who'd shouted the offending statement but couldn't tell among the murmurs of agreement that had broken out among the crowd. No one but Harry seemed to realize that Cameron was so close to death and if anyone else did notice, they didn't seem to care. Cameron squeezed his eyes shut and nodded as tears fell down his cheek.

"To hell with all of you!" Harry cried. "He just saved all of your arses for the second time this year!"

"Yeah, after he almost got us killed." Theodore Nott snapped angrily. Harry stood and made to charge at the Slytherin but Ron grabbed his shoulders and held him back.

"He's right Harry." He said softly. Harry pushed the red head away with a dark look.

"What if it'd been me Ron? Voldemort could have just as easily demanded me to trick you. Would you have turned on me this fast?"

Harry turned back to Cameron before Ron could answer. Right then Madame Pomfrey burst through the crowd looking anxious. She caught sight of Cameron on the ground and gasped. Harry looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Help him Madame Pomfrey, please help him." He begged. The medi-witch knelt next to Cameron and whipped out her wand she muttered a spell and for a moment said nothing. When she lowered her wand she looked up at Harry solemnly.

"The dagger has pierced his lungs. I might be able to fix it but…" she began but she stopped.

"But what?" Harry pressed. Cameron's eyes had slid closed and his breathing was harsh and erratic. Sweat coated the teens face and his expression was pained.

"But this is a Dark Magic Dagger. As soon as it pierces the skin it sends three dark curses through the victims bloodstream. The first cause's extreme pain, the second makes the body turn on itself in such a way that it slowly begins to shut down, and the third will kill him." She explained. There were sharp gasps from the students around the group but Harry didn't look at any of them. His eyes were focused on Cameron's face. The teen's eyes were squeezed shut tight and his fists were curled into tight balls.

"Then we have to get it out! We have to make it stop!" Harry cried. He grabbed the dagger and before Madame Pomfrey or anyone else could stop him he ripped it out of his friend's side. Cameron cried out in pain and blood began pouring out of he wound. Color faded from both Cameron's and Harry's faces. Harry dropped the knife to the ground where it stained the grass around it with crimson. Cameron rolled himself on his back clutching his side desperately. He wrenched his eyes open and searched out Draco and Ron who were standing over the entire scene as if frozen to their spots.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me." He gasped. Blood trickled out of his mouth and down his cheek. Cameron winced horribly as the curses flowed through his system. Ron closed his eyes tightly and knelt down beside the teen before opening them again. He nodded. Draco knelt on Ron's other side and laid his hand on Cameron's shoulder. The blonde nodded his acceptance as well.

"We're so sorry, Cameron." Ginny and Hermione said, pushing their way through the crowd. Luna and Eloise appeared at their sides and both girls nodded.

"We forgive you if you forgive us." Eloise said tearfully. Cameron nodded painstakingly. A few other people stepped forward and said their final words to the teen.

Slowly Cameron's expression became less pained and his grip on his side went lax. His eyes slid closed and his head fell to one side.

Harry stared at the lifeless body of his friend for a long minute. Tears poured out of his eyes and he barely registered when Ginny knelt beside him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Ron gathered Hermione into a hug and the brunette cried into his shoulder.


	17. Chapter 17

The funeral was held the next day. Students stood around a large hole in the ground close to the Forbidden Forest. Firenze and a few of Cameron's other forest friends came to pay their respects though they kept their distance from the students. Sirius, Remus, Draco, Ron, Harry, and Snape were the coffin bearers. They lifted the bright white coffin onto its little platform above the hole. A small black marble tombstone had been implanted at the head of the burial plot.

_Freedom is never free._

_Cameron Scott_

The entire student body walked passed the coffin and placed a flower on top of it. A few stopped beside it and muttered a few final words before walking back to their spots in the circle.

Harry watched all this happen from outside the circle. He, Ron, Draco, Ginny, and Hermione stood silently in a line. When the final student had passed by the coffin Harry took a deep breath and through the circle until he stood beside Cameron's headstone.

The Gryffindor laid a hand on the coffins top and looked up at the students standing around him.

"If someone had come up to me last year and told me that in less then a years time we would be standing in a circle like we are right now I would have had them committed to Saint Mungo's." A few people chuckled lightly but the amusement faded quickly.

"Every year since I've been sorted into Gryffindor I've faced the divisions between houses. It was almost as if there was some law telling us not to be friends or to even be respectable to each other or some rule saying we had to hate each other all the time. But there was no law, there was no rule, it was us. We chose to hate each other. We chose to make each other miserable because of a stupid House name. Our teachers did it, our parents did it and we've done it. Gryffindors thought they were better then Slytherins because we treated others better. Right, because knocking each other out of the air with bats during Quidditch or starting arguments in the corridors is exactly the way people should treat each other. Slytherins thought they were better then all the other Houses because all or most of them are pureblood. Well I was almost sorted into Slytherin but my mother was Muggleborn. Ravenclaws thought they were the smartest and Hufflepuffs believed themselves to be the most honorable. Right."

Harry paused to take a breath.

"Then this year Cameron came into our lives. Dumbledore asked him to come to help us get around those stupid barriers called house names. We didn't realize it at first but Cameron was slowly giving us friendships and alliances that we never could have gotten on our own. Everyone knows Draco and I have practically hated each other since the very first moment we met but now he's one of my best friends and I don't know what I would do without him any more then I know what I'd do without Ron or Hermione or Ginny. I know I'm not the only one who's found a new friend in an unlikely person but none of us could have done it without Cameron's guidance. Honestly anyone who says they would have gotten around to doing it later is just full of fluff.

"Over time we all became friends with Cameron in one way or another; some closer then others but everyone came to know him as our friend from the forest." Harry sighed heavily.

"And then came that night when Cameron and I were kidnapped. That first hour passed so fast and before I knew it I was watching Cameron suffer. His confident, self-assured exterior was destroyed as he fought against the excruciating pain he seemed to be in. Then I watched as Voldemort set him free. I watched the excitement and disbelief as Cameron sucked in his first pain free breath from outside the forest." Harry smiled as he remembered that moment. "I remember him saying that irony sucked because he was finally free of a curse only to be trapped in a cell in Voldemort's lair." A few people smiled and Harry continued with his speech.

"But it wasn't long before Voldemort wanted something in return. He told Cameron that he had to bring the students of Hogwarts to his castle. There is no doubt in my mind that there was an alternative but if Cameron didn't take it, it must have been something even more horrible. I know many of you don't think there could possibly be anything more awful then getting taken there but you're going to have to trust me when I say that there really is. Long story short Cameron ended up saving every last one of you only to get stabbed in the process." Harry's expression and face turned cold.

"As he lay there dying in the grass some of you shouted that it was all his fault all of this had happened to you. Someone even shouted good riddance. How bloody stupid can you possibly be? I don't understand how you could possibly say that to someone who had just saved you life for the second time. It boggles my mind that you can stand here today looking at this coffin and know that Cameron is inside, dead." Harry looked away from his classmates and focused instead on the smooth surface of the coffin. He shook his head.

"At least you're free now, Cameron. No curse, no bars, just freedom." Harry bowed his head for a moment before looking up at the rest of the students one last time.

"Everyone knows freedom isn't free. Cameron paid for not only his own but for ours. Remember that the next time you shout good riddance."

Harry turned and left the circle. He pushed passed his friends and crossed the grounds towards the lake which was far enough away that he knew he wouldn't be able to see as Cameron's coffin was lowered into the burial plot. The Gryffindor sat on the grass and leaned his head back against the very tree Cameron had been sitting at after they'd all gone swimming. He closed his eyes and replayed that entire day in his mind.

Harry didn't look up at the sound of footsteps coming towards him. He didn't stir as he felt his friends sit around him. Ginny wrapped her arms around one of his and laid her head on his shoulder.

Draco, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny sat in silence listening to the soft wind blowing through the trees of the forest.

"Oi, what is that?" Ron said suddenly. Harry opened his eyes and followed his friends gaze.

In the trees stood the shimmering image of a silver fox, it wasn't solid enough to be real and yet all five of them saw it clear as day. The fox stared at them and they stared back. Suddenly the fox began running towards the lake. The teens watched as it leapt up into the air and landed in the water without a splash. The unmistakable sound of laughter rang around them as they stared at the water where the fox had landed.

None of them ever spoke about the incident by the lake. They never had to. They all knew that it was Cameron's way of telling them that he was finally free and that he loved every second of it.


End file.
